Life, Love, and the Pursuits of Vindication
by x Ruby Dust x
Summary: ...Post Ocean's 13... Danny left Rusty with those two words that had only ever meant trouble in the past. Now, an old flame is back in his life and needs his help with a job while Danny is off playing matchmaker. WARNING: sex. strong laguage. RustyOC
1. Two Words

**Life, Love, and the Pursuits of Vindication**

**Chapter One**

**Two Words**

The flight attendant approached him, smiling her fakest smile in an attempt to persuade him into some complementary peanuts. She stared at him questioningly when he didn't respond, grinning weirdly in her direction. He couldn't help himself. Danny had said those infamous two words to him before he left. Two words that always made him smile like a little boy, sound asleep with the possibility of a wet-dream floating in the near future. He couldn't contain himself.

Her glare didn't waver, running a hand in his face. "Sir? Sir?"

Rusty blinked several times, coming back into reality. "...I'm sorry?..."

"Peanuts?"

"Oh." He refused, shaking his head. This wasn't like him at all. Those damn two words did something to him that he regretted. Oh, how he always regretted it. But oh, how he loved to regret it.

He realized that he hadn't even watched the pretty attendant walk away like he normally would. The taste of chocolate covered strawberries filled his mouth at the mere thought of those two words, and he immediately reached for the attendant bell, feeling a need for a stiff drink.

She returned to his side, the fake smile still in place. He ordered a scotch, the quickly retreated back to his thoughts.

A woman in the next isle over tried desperately to get his attention, continuously glancing in his direction in hope for the "Lead Away Stare". Rusty saw the maneuver. Hell, he perfected the "Lead Away Stare". It was a technique that was burned into his brain since he was old enough to reason that girl's didn't really have cooties. It's simple: drag a girl - or in this case, a _person_ - in with a flirty graze of the eyes, enough to get the other party interested. Then, once a connection had been established and the bait has been taken, slowly look away and casually start to do something else, leading the target away from their doings and giving them an opportunity to talk to you. Rusty loved the technique, mostly because it gave him all the power even though the other person would think they were making the first move.

He loved seeing the technique in action, testing its faults and other possibilities. Finding it an amusing - and a possible distraction - he took the bait, but refused a follow up, staying in his seat and shuffling his shoes. She tried again, and again he foiled her advance. Frustrated, she rebounded by approaching him, herself. Rusty laughed to himself. The girl was a newbie to the "Lead Away Stare". The whole point was to retain control, giving the flirter the upper hand with the possibility of rejecting the target if things go south. Now, she was handing the power over to him with her approach. The chance of rejection just increased exponentially. Still, he allowed her advance.

She smiled sweetly at him, sitting the vacant seat next to him. Once she was already seated, she caught his eye and smoothly asked, "Is this seat taken?"

She must have been extremely new to this, making him second guess her age. At first glance, the laugh lines around her mouth gave her the appearance of forty. The sheer volume of her incredibly blonde hair made her look thirty. Her thin, petite body and endlessly long legs made her look twenty. But, her intense lack of game made her appear maybe eighteen, seventeen at the least, although he highly doubted that. In any case, there was no way he was fully going to agree to any of her plans for him. There was just no challenge.

"If I said 'no', would it matter?" Well, even though he wasn't going to progress with her, it was still quite a while until he reached his destination. Might as well have some fun.

She shook her head, making her blonde hair shift unnaturally, the hairsprayed mass fighting against the disturbance. "Funny," she commented, smoothing her skirt in an attempt to get him to look at her ridiculously long legs.

"What is?" he obliged to this part of her act.

"You're wearing some expensive clothing – and with style, might I add… but you don't seem uptight enough to be a business man, and not snobbish enough to be mooching off of mommy and daddy. So…" she was offering him the chance at offering his name.

Rusty met her half way. "David. David King."

"David. Well David, what do you do, then?"

"I'm in finance." If she only knew.

Her smile widened. Now, she thought he was rich. Great. She stretched out a hand, palm down. She was trying to regain her control, so he humored her. "Jenna White, actress."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "An actress headed away from California?"

"I have family on the east coast."

He nodded. That's why she had such bad game. She was probably usually the one getting hit on, not doing the hitting.

"So tell me about yourself, David. Where are _you_ going?" Jenna leaned into her seat, planting her elbow and bringing a finger to the corner of her mouth.

Rusty was running out of ideas. He pretended not to hear, turning his head down towards his feet. She leaned closer, unfortunately knowing the wiser. Sure, she was so easy to give the power away but couldn't take a hint. Great.

About to create something so fabricated, so outrageously obvious that she would have to have known he was lying just to get her to walk away, a hand slipped into his and a pair of lips brushed against his cheek. "There you are, sweetie. I swear, I wouldn't be able to find my way out of a paper bag if you weren't with me."

He knew that voice, and the chocolate strawberries flooded his taste buds once again. He didn't have to look, nor did he want to. Not unless he was going to get sucked in. "Darling," he beamed, looking back towards his uneducated guest, "This is Jenna White. She's an actress." Rusty gave her hand a gentle squeeze of admiration and thanks, watching Jenna remove herself from the empty seat and return to her own. "So you've been here the whole time, Lily." It was more of a statement than a question.

She filled the seat next to him, grinning menacingly. "Watching you squirm," she kidded, lifting his chin so he had to look her square in the eye.

She was just as he remembered. Jet-black, bouncy coils of angel hair, pouring just over the tips of her shoulders as if pushing boundaries. Steely blue eyes, shooting icicles up and down his spine. Uncharacteristic pale skin stretched taunt across high cheek bones, hollowing her eyes just to accentuate the mystery. "Lily…"

"So, guess what…"

He raised a hand to her, ripping his eyes away. "Lily, the answer is no."

Lily's eyes grew big, innocence leaking out and filling the entire plane. "You don't know me anymore, Rusty. I wasn't going to ask you a question!"

"Yes, you were."

"Okay, so maybe you know me a little more than I expected. But, you don't know what I was going to ask. How can you go around making hasty decisions like that? You could be interested, after all."

"Fine, go ahead and ask. My answer is still going to be no." Rusty took his glass in his fist, pouring a mouthful down his throat. The scotch stung on the way down, but not as much as denying Lily. A couple years ago, it would have been near impossible to refute her. Sure, he would have gotten through the first "no", but he always used to cave after that. Now, he had the second down packed. Maybe a third, if he needed it. After that, he would be putty in her hands. He couldn't let her get that far. "Look, I'd love to help with whatever you need done, but I just can't. I'm supposed to be in Boston right now, finishing up the second part of a four part bank branch heist with these guys that paid me a whole shit load of dinero to help them carry it out. I bailed on them during part one because I was running a little late with something else. Then…"

"Because Reuben almost died!"

"… I bailed on them the first time."

Lily rolled her eyes, the purity sucked back into the sapphire portals. "People pay you to help them with jobs? How the hell did you get that gig and where can I sign up."

Rusty ignored her, tension rising now that he remembered why he regretted every meeting they've ever had. "Why are you here, Lily? Other than asking for my help."

She answered with a question of her own, "How did you know I was here?"

"Two words."

She nodded, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin on her crossed arms. "Ah, good ol' Dad's at it again, huh. Which two words was it this time? _True Love_?"

"_Settle Down_."

Lily smirked, shaking her head disapprovingly. "When is he going to understand that the concept of me and you just won't ever work?"

That was a blow below the belt. "If I remember correctly, it was you that decided that all on your own."

Silence broke between the two, and awkwardness enveloped what was an otherwise healthy moment. It was true, she had walked out on him. But what Danny didn't know – and what Rusty didn't know _she_ knew - was that he was about to walk out on her. "All I remember was the fighting…" Lily sighed, breaking the silence.

Rusty held his peace.

"Look Rusty, it wasn't my idea to come to you for help. The truth is, I didn't want to. But I have to. I'm willing to beg you, if need be."

A knot was forming in the back of his neck, the tension beginning to store itself in a painful way. He rolled his neck, looking towards the ceiling. He was wrong, there was no third "no". He just didn't have it left in him.

"Did I mention that I'm willing to let you finish Part Two of whatever the hell you're doing. And it wouldn't be just me and you. Dad and his little crime syndicate, or whatever you call yourselves, are going to be heading up in a couple of days."

Nope, definitely no third. "Where is the job?"

"New York."


	2. Lily's Story

**Chapter Two**

**Lily's Story**

The phone rang several times before anyone answered. Lily was becoming impatient, tapping her foot mechanically as if to shake the anger from her. Of course her father was behind all this. He always was. Ever since she had been a child, being the "distraction" while he was pulling a job, Danny Ocean hand always been behind every incredibly embarrassing moment in her entire life.

There was the time he came to fifth grade play, a wad of money sticking out of his pocket that he had "forgotten about", and all the divorcee moms got in a fight over him. There was the time he came to her softball game with a black eye and a torn suit, having just come from a "meeting" with someone named Crusher. There had been the time when everyone in her high school found out her father was doing a minimum of two months incarceration for a theft charge; two months only because he knew the judge. His excuse was usually the same. it wasn't his fault, he didn't plan on it. But he did plan the jobs, and he did command the respect of others. Unfortunately, he always seemed to have one enemy too many, and sometimes his "friends" weren't as reliable as he was. In any matter, he was still her father and she still supported him.

That is, until he had put her through that God awful, painful plane trip.

The phone rang one more time before turning over to the answering machine. Jamming her finger into the "OFF" button on her cellphone, Lily dialed the ten digit number of his cell and held it to her ear. This time, it answered on the first ring. "I'm going to kill you!" she screamed, before he could get a chance to talk.

"Hello?!"

"Tess! Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I thought it was my dad…"

"I guessed as much," Tess laughed, "Danny's in the shower and Isadora and I just came home from the store. Is everything okay?"

"No, I'm going to kill him," she responded, some of her anger subsiding the longer she talked to Tess. Tess was the only woman her father had ever dated that Lily had actually liked, and now he was married to her. It was the first right move he had ever done in her book. "Tell him that, will you?"

"I'll give him the message, but I'm not sure it would come across the right way. A death threat from a spouse is on a different level than one from prodigy. Why? What'd he do this time?"

"He talked to Rusty."

There was silence on the other end. Tess knew exactly what she was talking about, and felt no need for follow up questions. No "But he always talks to Rusty". No "About what?" Her only response was, "He didn't!"

Lily nodded, without realizing Tess couldn't see her. "Yep, and now I'm elbow deep in I.O.U.'s and I don't really have a choice in the matter. I had to beg him just to listen to me, Tess. Do you know how humiliating that was for me?" She had started a frantic pacing, kicking random objects out of her way in the process.

"So what did he say to him?"

"I believe, if I heard Rusty correctly, he said 'You should settle down. Have some kids.'"

"Wow. Well, I'm sure you handled it okay. You always seem to have your wits about you. Except now…Hell, I'd kill him… Oh! Hold on, he's coming out of the bathroom." Tess removed the phone from her ear, but Lily could still hear a hushed argument between them. Tess was shoving the phone in his face, telling him that he had better talk to his daughter. He was trying his best to refuse, knowing he was in trouble.

After a few quiet minutes, she heard his voice chime with a "Hi, sweetie…!"

"Cut the shit, Dad. I'm going to kill you. With a shovel. A very, very blunt shovel. Then, I'm going to find a desolate location that no one dares go near because they think it's sacred or cursed or something. I'm thinking somewhere in Mexico. Then, I'm going to dig a hole and bury you with the same shovel so no one will ever find a body or a murder weapon."

Danny sighed long and hard into the mouthpiece, picturing the sight. Sadly, it was not hard to imagine his daughter standing over his bloody body, a jagged shovel raised over her head in victory. " You've really thought this out, huh? Okay, so what can we do to avoid this whole… killing me…thing?"

"Hide your shovels, because I don't happen to have one handy," she grunted.

"Sweetie," he had to pause and catch himself, because his eldest daughter was not being so sweet at the present moment. "Lily, calm down. He said he'd do it, right? I told you…"

"You told me that he knew I was there! You told me that even though I made an effort to be as far away from him as possible because I, personally, was uncomfortable approaching him just yet, that he knew I had to talk him. You told me that he knew I was there for Reuben and …"

"Lily, please. So I fibbed a little, but I didn't plan on it going this way…"

"You never do!" She had worked herself into such a frenzy, that she was sure she was going to pop a blood vessel if she continued screaming at the rate she was. "Look, Dad. Just go back to being Danny Ocean, criminal mastermind and stop trying to be Danny Ocean, matchmaker. Rusty and I are over, and that's done with. Please stop making me relive the past, because it hurts worse every time I have to reopen that wound. You and Tess worked out after that whole falling out… great. But we're not you and Tess. And you're not giving yourself a chance to see that."

It hurt him to hear Lily talk like that, and a wave of guilt flooded over him. "Where are you?" he choked, bowing his head. He was aware that Tess was watching him, and he was probably going to have to fight some more when the phone line was dropped, so he might as well talk to Lily as long as possible.

"Rusty's hotel in Boston. I had no where else to go, after all. You never told me he was heading to Boston."

Danny could have sworn he had mentioned that when he handed her the plane ticket. "Okay, I'll admit to that mistake." Still, they were together. It might have been fate, instead of a mistake.

"God, Dad. You're never going to change are you? I'm just amazed at how sometimes you seem so proud of the damage you're doing."

He heard her voice become shaky, and quickly squashed the idea that was manifesting in his head. He had no response to her statement, so he remained silent.

She ended the silence with cutting words, "See you in New York," and hung up before he could say goodbye.

It was true, he never was going to change, In that instant, she felt incredibly sorry for Isadora and the years ahead of her. For that little girl's sake, Lily was hoping that Danny was only going to use this rotten behavior towards her. Tess insisted that Isadora lead a normal life, and not be bred for criminal activity like Lily was, and there was a good chance of that happening with the tight leash she kept her husband on. Of course, there was always a chance that Isabel would turn out different.

Lily had been playing with the theory that there was some sort of criminal gene. It made sense to her. Some children are amazing athletes, coming from long lines of other athletes. Some children are geniuses, spawning from other geniuses. Why not criminal ability? She was certainly good at what she did. At least she thought so. And then there's her father... Yes, it all made sense to her. Most of the people her father had surrounded himself with had come from criminal families as well. There had to be a connection. A genetic connection.

Putting away her cellphone, Lily glanced around the empty room. Rusty's bags lay on one bed, hers on another. She had no intention of staying here, and she would have to be bound and gagged to do so. She was not going to embarrass herself any further. With that thought, she walked over to her things and began to prepare to leave. She was going to be gone before Rusty came back, that's for damn sure.

There were two plane tickets to New York in her possession, one for her and one for Rusty. She took one from the side compartment of her bag, and started to unzip his in order to leave it for him. She stuffed it along the side, but paused when she felt other papers brush her fingertips. Curious, and unable to detach herself from old habits, she plucked the papers from their hiding spot and scanned through them. The contents made her jaw drop.

They were pages from a scrap book a friend had made for them back then. Of the both of them. Together. Happy. Smiling. It was all too much for her to handle. Rusty was never the type for that sort of thing – holding onto old memories and keepsakes – and it thoroughly freaked her out. So freaked out, she threw down the pages and ran until she was safely about fifty yards from the hotel room.

Panting, and sagging under the weight of her duffel, she found a small outside café and collapsed into a chair to try to digest it all. This was all wrong. All wrong. She remembered that night like it was yesterday. She remembered so vividly, and all this made less and less sense to her. Had she been wrong. No! she remembered…

_Glasses had been throw, plates shattered. Things were aimed at heads, and the screaming could be heard across the city. After barely dodging a vase, Rusty took the advantage of the time it took her to scour the cupboard for something else to throw, and pinned Lily against kitchen counter. "Will you stop and listen?!" he roared, struggling against the intense battle she was putting up. Finally, his wrists gave in and she broke free, slapping him so hard he got knocked to the ground. _

_"Fuck you, Rusty Ryan! Fuck. You," s__he retaliated, moving to kick him where the sun don't shine. _

_Rusty scrambled to his feet and jumped to the opposite side of the couch, which had gotten extremely misplaced in the argument. "Goddammit! Shut the hell up and let me explain! I was working her over!"_

_"Damn straight you were working her over! In our hotel room! On your knees with your pants down!"_

_"Lily! She came here, and I couldn't tell her to leave__…"_

_"Yeah, I know you needed her to finish the job," Lily panted, finding herself tiring. She placed her hands on her hips and tried to look as menacing as possible. Her bright blu__e eyes had turned to a misty blue-black__, as if smoke was looming behind her cornea's. If anything, it was putting the fear of God in him. "I'll say you finished the job, and it looked like you finished her, too."_

_"Lily, I swear…"_

_She had found her second wind, along with a second vase. "You man-whore! You promised me… you promised me you wouldn't… you promised…" but she couldn't finish the sentence. Tears had started streaming down her cheeks as she collapsed onto the floor. She felt like a toy to him, just something to amuse him until the next shiner toy came along. "I told you I loved you…"_

_She wanted him to rush to her, to scoop her up in his arms and whisper soothing comments in her ear. She wanted him to hold her, hug her to him like he used to. She wanted him to say he loved her. But he didn't. And she knew he wouldn't. Because he couldn't. _

Just thinking about it felt like razors cutting her heart. She had to work next to him now, maybe for months, and pretend like none of this ever happened. Fortunately, she was strong. And one hell of an actress. If one of the two traits didn't work, the other one would. Hopefully.

There had to be a reasonable explanation, she was sure. She thought she knew Rusty, what he was capable of and what he wasn't. Then again, Lily didn't even really know herself anymore.


	3. The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree

**Chapter Three **

**The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree**

**Part One**

The large aviator sunglasses not only shielded her eyes from the sun, but from Rusty's view. He strutted down the corridor with his big bag over one shoulder and a cup of coffee in his hand. That was Rusty to a "T". If he didn't have coffee, it was probably some sort of food. _That man always has something in his mouth, _Lily thought to herself as she leaned against the wall. Her arms were crossed, and her feet crossed at the ankles. To anyone else, it seemed like the perfect nonchalance position. To Lily, it was a cover up. She was silently screaming inside. But only inside. The inside didn't matter for now.

As he got closer, she noticed that he still had that certain rhythm in his step. She always kidded him that it seemed like he had his own theme music he was walking to. He would laugh and change the subject. Now, it just seemed like his walk was filled with arrogance. Especially with his perfectly tailored suit hanging just the right way off of him. "What an ass," she found herself saying out loud, even though it was meant to be kept private.

"Excuse me?" he asked, tilting his own sunglasses down in an attempt to look over the top of the rims.

"I said… oh, who gives a shit…" she shrugged, pointing him towards the direction where she was parked while simultaneously walking in that direction. Virgil was supposed to be picking him up, but had gotten lost somewhere in the city. Just her luck.

"Still ever the lady, I see."

She stopped in her tracks, and pivoted to confront him. When she turned, she saw that he had a smirk on his face that was just waiting for a comeback. Lily wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "I'm too tired to fight with you right now, Rusty. Can we just go, please? We have to go find Virgil – God knows where he is – then we have to come back here to meet Saul, and then we need to wait for Frank whose plane doesn't land until two hours later. Jesus, you guys can con people like Terry Benedict and Willy Bank, but you can't even coordinate a flight schedule so you could arrive at about the same time…" Lily took off her sunglasses and rubbed her eyes, a migraine setting in an acute spot between her eyebrows and the bridge of her nose. "Today is just going to be a really long day, and I'd rather not spend it fighting with you." She made the mistake of looking at him without the aviators, and he was abruptly plunged into her world of physical and mental fatigue.

The smirk vanished, and he saw how wiped out she really was.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hoisting his bag a little higher to make it look like the strain on his face was from its weight and not the shock. Her eyes, usually full of so much emotion, held nothing. When she looked at him, it was more of a blank stare. Like she was looking past him, instead of at him. The color was fading, a foggy gray swirling around empty, black pools. There was no emotion, no thought. She blinked, covered her eyes back up, and ran a shaking hand threw her hair.

"I'm fine. I just haven't slept well in the past couple days, is all. I've been trying like hell to figure out every last detail of this job for you guys so you would be informed for when Dad comes tomorrow, but the fucking thing just keeps being a bitch."

He had forgotten how she used to cuss when she was irritated, and it amused him now just as it had amused him then. Not that he was laughing at her pain, it was just that she was a small girl. To see, and hear, such vulgar words come out of her mouth was shocking at first. Then, it was just funny.

Rusty nodded, trying to express that he felt her pain. "Danny's not here?"

"No, he called me this morning. Tess and Izzy were supposed to come, but Isadora got sick and he's stuck in "Father" mode right now," she sighed, leaning back against a wall. "You know, I came to a realization last night. No matter how hard I try, I'm not my dad. I tell him that everyday." Rusty knew when to talk and when to listen. This was the latter, so he cocked his head in an inquisitory manner. "He doesn't expect me to be just like him… but he wants me to be… but I'm not him. Or you, for that matter." She was looking at her shoes, shuffling her feet in an uncomfortable manner. "Why am I telling you? You don't care…"

"Hey! I care!"

She frowned at him, taking her turn to look over the top of her sunglasses. Only her glare cast a more eerie look. "You _used_ to care, Rusty. It's different now."

"Lily, I may be scum to you, but I'm still a human. And, as a human, I tend to care. Especially when you look like death."

"I'm going to chose to ignore that last part," she sighed, continuing her walk to the car as he followed at her heels. Truthfully, his comment made her feel a little better. And technically, she did look like death. "Rusty Ryan, human scum…" she said to herself, but loud enough so he could hear, "It has a certain ring to it. Maybe you should get business cards made."


	4. Part Two

**Part Two**

Danny stood outside of the large, brownstone building in Manhattan. It was different scenery for him. He was used to seeing lights flashing and hearing the chime of slot machines echo, even though it was the middle of the day. This was much more different than that. Thank God they weren't staying here long, because he wasn't sure he could handle hearing all the cars honking all the time. Then again, the cars didn't really bug him. He had lived in New York once. With Tess. Before. He didn't really want to think about all that anymore.

Rusty was standing inside the brownstone, leaning against the front desk while snacking on a hoagie he had swiped from the kitchens. He spotted Danny immediately, almost rushing to his side. Together, they walked to the elevators and entered without saying a word. Once the door closed, Danny reached for the button towards the penthouse apartment, but Rusty cut him off and slammed a fist down on the emergency button, causing the elevator to jolt and a bell to start continuously ringing. He ignored the ringing, outrageously confused about what was happening. "What the hell is going on, Danny?"

Danny shrugged at him, "I told you."

"No," Rusty shook his head, taking another deep bite from his hoagie before continuing. "You called me this morning and told me you'd be here, right after Lily got done telling me that you weren't going to be here. Conning your own daughter, Danny? Now that's just bad taste…"

Danny dropped his bags, realizing that the bell was going to be ringing for a long time if he didn't start explaining everything. "I was really hoping to do this in front of everyone else, Rusty." Rusty didn't move an inch, not even his expression, telling him that it would be better if his right hand man was in the loop. "Alright, fine. His name is Marc Hollings, banker extraordinaire."

"New York?"

" Financial District."

"Right."

"So, anyway, I've got someone on the inside who tells me that Mr. Hollings has an off-shore account in Tahiti set away for himself."

"Skimmer?"

"Hell…yes… this would be the biggest job we ever pulled."

"But?"

"But, he's planning on emptying that account soon. And, before I forget to mention, this is going to be a nearly impossible job. Not to mention… my last."

Rusty nodded, finished the last bite of his hoagie, and whipped his hands. It was always impossible. Always. In the end, he always ended up with a large chunk of change. So it could never really be that impossible. And Danny had been claiming that every job they did for years would be his last. He did attempt to try to settle back into society, but they all knew how that turned out.

"Hollings is a big believer in technology, so his security system is outrageously complex The tricky thing is, he's planning on going on "vacation" in about a week, so we have to hurry but still be as on-point as always."

Rusty accepted his answer, hitting the emergency button again and preparing himself for the jolt when the elevator started up. "And your person on the inside? Lily?" He said the words trying to imagine her in a suite, sitting behind a desk at the bank while typing away at a computer. It wasn't that hard to imagine, surprisingly.

"She's wearing herself out, I know. But she's been vital in all of it. She came to me with the idea, actually."

Rusty bowed his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's not you, Danny." As he replayed his statement in his head, he was reminded of how sickly she had looked when she confessed the same thing to him.

Danny nodded, picking his bags up as the door opened. "Which is why I came even though I told her I couldn't. Everyone here?"

"See for yourself," Rusty responded. The elevator opened to the penthouse, and Lily's voice rang out in the air.

The group circled around, pulling up chairs and moving the furniture into a semi-circle of sorts. Linus, Basher, Frank, Virgil, Turk, Livingston, Saul, and Yen looked up at her with the wide, greedy eyes of a child. "Looks like Dad has told you about the big pay-out, right?" Lily smiled weakly, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, I don't know all of you, so let me introduce myself. I'm Lily Ocean, and this is my home. Now, I pulled a lot of strings to get you guys rooms downstairs so don't push your luck. Don't go all rock star on me… you break it, you bought it."

Linus casually glanced around the room, then slowly raised his hand as if he was in grade school again. "Um… where's…"

Danny interrupted him, throwing his bags onto the marble floor. "Reuben isn't coming, because he doesn't know we're here. And no one is going to tell him. Not until I call him and talk to him first. Got it?"

Lily genuinely smiled at him, relieved at his intrusion. "We think that Reuben needs a little more time off to fully recover, is all," Rusty added.

Danny put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into her father almost like she was too tired to hold herself up anymore. "All the shovels are safely locked away, right?" he whispered.

She nodded, then took a seat with the rest of them to listen while he repeated the agenda he had just explained to Rusty. She was aware that Rusty was standing over her, his arms crossed. He was acting like he was listening, but he wasn't really mentally in the room. She knew him that much, at least.

"… so what we have to do is get hold of that money right after he makes the transaction. We have to beat him to it."

"Why can't we just take it from the account in Tahiti?" Saul asked, looking up under the rim of his bucket hat.

"Technically the money doesn't exist yet. He actually has a series of accounts set up, each holding roughly five million. Total, about 300 million, since he's been doing this for so many years. He's planning on transferring the numbers and turning it into money to his account under a false name at his own bank – unrecorded, of course – then take it from there. Once the transaction is made, we'll only have a couple minutes to bypass the security system – randomized, moving lasers everywhere, several different safe combinations, etc. – and hack into his computer to get to the money. It's extremely risky, and the possibility of a long prison sentence is likely, if not expected. But it'll be huge."

Yen spoke, Rusty answering his question first. "It's a challenge, but it's completely worth it. From the way Danny described it to me earlier, it seems like this guy has a couple charity accounts that he's been skimming from. Several are charities for children. Sick kids, needing the money to fulfill their last dying wishes." He paused, finally realizing what Danny's real reason for this job was. He wouldn't let the others know, of course. "If you won't do it for the cash, do it for the kids."

In this line of business, a certain amount of greed was involved. Although Rusty felt he made a touching enough speech, the promise of an estimated twenty-seven million payout each was enough to persuade them the first time through.

"God damn if we aren't modern day Robin Hood's," Turk chuckled, Virgil rolling his eyes at his brother before initiating verbal combat.

Lily waited until all the room keys were handed out and all the otherse left before admitting, "Robin Hood my ass. Take from the rich and give to yourself, is more like it." Both Danny and Rusty glared at her, making her throw her hands up and add, "Not that I mind all that money…you know…"

Danny took a seat next to her, Rusty off putting chairs back where they belonged as a gesture of goodwill towards her. "We'll give money back to the kids…" he agreed.

She nodded, falling back into her plush couch cushions.

Danny finally got a chance to look around the place. Marble floors and countertops, real cherry wood walls, large bay window with long, flowing drapes depicting beautiful city scenery. "You're not doing bad for yourself,"

She nodded again, "Yeah, but I'm no Danny Ocean."

"No. As you keep reminding me," he smirked, taking the glass of gin Rusty was handing him. The tone in his voice made her unconvinced, but she didn't press the matter. She was just too tired.

Rusty reached out to hand Lily a glass, but she had fallen fast asleep on the couch. Swallowing the glass for himself, he took a seat opposite Danny and scowled in his direction. "Danny, what the hell is going on?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because I know you, and right now I know you're being sneaky as shit," he spat, downing the glass he poured for himself. He winced as it traveled to his stomach, then continued. "Lily has never done a job with us before. Why now?"

"It's her job."

"No, Lily is more of a cat burglar, if anything. Mansions, especially. I mean look at this place, it's dusted with diamonds, antiques, paintings. You think she got here with months and months of planning and using up all the money from the last job hiring a experts and a team to pull this off. No chance in hell."

"Okay, so maybe I did a little research." Danny leaned back in his chair, finding the more he sat the more comfortable he was getting. Hell, he might have to move in with her.

Rusty scoffed. Normally Danny and him got along swimmingly, real peas in a pod. But whenever Lily was involved, it all crumbled. Danny had been thrilled when he and Lily had gotten together. Rusty was supposed to take over his position when Danny finally decided to completely settle down one day, not like that was ever going to happen. Now, Lily and Rusty were no longer in the cards and he was trying to morph his daughter into what he had molded into Rusty. Still, it was better to just smile and let family matters work themselves out. For now.

They talked in hushed tones, letting Lily get all the sleep she could. They talked about small details, like the laser laden bank floor, to the several combinations they were going to need to get into the several restricted areas they were going to need. Unfortunately, they hit a snag when it came to timing, and concluded that a set plan could not be cemented on that issue. They would just have to wait, and watch. Simple enough. Any other topics they were having a problem with, they decided to sleep on it and readdress it in the morning.


	5. The Private Mind of Rusty Ryan

_I'd just like to take a second and thank ayrenni, for lending me the ideas she used in her Ocean's fanfic "Contemplations" for the ending of this chapter. Now, it's in my own words, but i used her basic idea because i loved her story, and i thought it fit so well here. it explains a lot, and ties it together so far. _

_Thank you again, ayrenni. It was a pleasure working with you! _

**Chapter Four**

**The Private Mind of Rusty Ryan**

There was a hard knock on the door, three booming thuds that shook the portal. Rusty thought about not answering, but when the knock sounded again he concluded that it was in his best interest to open it. When he grabbed the handle and wrenched it inwards, Lily shoved a brown bag in his face and held up another next to her head. "I have a proposition for you," she beamed, waiting to be allowed inside.

He looked at the bag, back at her, then back to the bag again. From the brief moment he really looked at her, he noticed that she was much healthier looking, and shit loads more perky. "Is all this food a gesture of goodwill, or a bribe to get me to hear you out."

"A little of both," she answered, taking his question as an invitation to his attention. She brushed past him, placing the bags on the kitchen table.

Without hesitation, Rusty stuck his hand into one of the bags and pulled out a small, square, white container and a plastic fork. Without even glancing at the food, he began eating. "You have five minutes."

"First, I have a question."

"Shoot."

She grabbed an identical container, but waited to start consuming. "When were you going to tell me about Isabel?"

Rusty stopped, dropped his fork on the floor, and slammed his food down on the table. "Who told you about Isabel?"

She paused, thinking of the correct response. Absentmindedly, she stirred the contents of her container while contemplating. It was something she did often when she was thinking, stirring her food. Or coffee. Or twirling her hair. Or gum. Anything with a twisting motion, really. "No one. Look, if it wasn't friendly territory then…"

Rusty stopped her, taking the food from her hands and roughly placing it next to his. "Make the commitment, Lily. Who told you about Isabel?"

"No one! You dialed her number ten times last night. There's only two reasons to call someone so many times, Russ. Either she's a vital necessity to this job, or she's not accepting your calls. I assumed that it was the latter, since all the people we need are already here."

"You know what you do when you assume?"

"Only if it's a false assumption, and I don't believe I was wrong. Was I?"

He grabbed her shoulders, gripping them tightly. "This isn't a game, Lily."

"I'm not laughing," she jerked, trying to wiggle away from him. In the old days, he always got rough with her when he was mad at her. He would never hit her, nothing like that. He just liked to intimidate her, because Lily Ocean was rarely ever intimidated. It was how she was able to tell when he was really mad, from the times when he was just frustrated.

"Lily…"

"I read it on your phone bill."

"You've been looking at my phone bill? What are you, my mother?!"

That remark was enough to fuel her enough to struggle away from him and plant her fist across his cheek. "No, smart ass! You think you're staying in this place for free? I offered to do the owner one favor per room, but there has to be paper work. He has to bill someone, now doesn't he? The bills were slipped in my mailbox, and I didn't know what they were because they were in unmarked envelopes. Yours happened to be on top. Satisfied?"

He refused to answer, sitting hard into a chair and resuming the shoveling of food into his mouth. "You had a proposition?"

"I don't want to fight with you."

"Oh yeah? So what do you want?"

"No, that's my proposition. I don't want to fight with you. I want to forget about everything, start fresh. The concept of you and I never existed, except in the mind of my twisted father. We'd be colleagues…"

"Wait, what was that last part?"

Lily reached her hand behind her back and grabbed the longest piece of hair to start curling. "I want to be colleagues…"

"No, before that. What about Danny?"

Lily sighed, rolling her eyes. "He's been on this rave about you and me. But that's not important."

Rusty nodded, sirens flashing in his mind. "Right." He made a mental note to personally talk to Danny in the near future. "What were you saying?"

"I want to be friends. If not friends, associates. Do you accept or decline?"

"You want my honest opinion, Lil?" It was more of a rhetorical question, so he didn't wait for her to respond. "I think there's going to be a lot more confrontations between us, because I don't think you're ready for this. And I'll tell you why. Remember New Jersey?"

Lily's jaw dropped, her hands balled into fists and pressed into her hips. "Yes, I remember New Jersey and that wasn't my fault!"

"Maybe not, but..."

"You want to go there? Fine, I'll go there. Remember Mississippi? Where you actually got caught, and I had to bail your ass out by conning old guys to collect the money. Remember that? Hmm?" This was the exact opposite of where she wanted all this to go, obviously. But, in her defense, he started it. "You fucked up, Rusty."

"I'll admit that I slipped up…"

"Great. So now when I make a mistake and you have to bail me out, we'll be even."

"Stop it," he pleaded, disconnecting himself from the situation. He had learned to tune her out a long time ago, but he was a little rusty. Bits and pieces still got through.

"No, you stop. I wanted to be civil, and you're being a dick."

Rusty stood again, his eyes dwindling on the rest of the contents of the bags. "I accept, even though I don't believe it."

"We both know you don't believe in a lot of things, Rusty. That doesn't make it right. Or you right." She took that as her cue to walk away, leaving all the food on the table.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching her leave and regretting he was doing so. She was right, they both knew that Rusty didn't believe in a lot of things. Six things, to be exact. Things he was always thinking about, even when he was sleeping. Even when he wasn't aware he was thinking about them. They were constantly on the back burners of his mind, and he rarely discussed them.

Once, actually. The day Lily had told him she loved him.

They had just finished a particularly good session in the bedroom, he was still laying on top of her, pressing all his body weight on her. She told him she liked that, that it made her feel secure and safe. He indulged her, finding the touch of her stomach against his arousing. It had gotten physical. Extremely physical. They had both started sweating, which he only noticed because one of her curly locks was plastered to her forehead. He brushed the hair from her face, and then she said it. Those three words that he dreaded. Even more than the two words.

I love you.

He was speechless. Shocked really. Mostly because he never really thought about their relationship in that way. That was the last and only time Rusty offered someone else a glimpse into his extremely personal, private mind.

Number one, Rusty never had much trust in luck. He liked to think that there was only elaborate planning and perfected details with an experienced crew. No luck.

Number Two, Rusty never really had any faith in friendship. He believe in colleagues and the con code, but the idea of friends just seemed to be a different label for things that hold you down.

Number Three, Rusty didn't believe in generosity. In his chosen profession, there was only greed and deceit. He was okay with that, though.

Number Four, he didn't believe in loyalty, either. Instead, he considered his business as just that. A business. A bank, more specifically. A bank where he deposits favors into other people's accounts and, sooner or later, they would withdraw his favors and deposit their own into his account until there was some sort of balance.

Number Five, and most importantly, Rusty had no faith in love. None, whatsoever. He found ease with the thought of comfort and release with another person, but not love. He believed in satisfaction and a way to release the adrenaline of a beautifully executed scam, but not love. Love was a weakness. Like friendship. It was an anchor holding you back. Concern with another person while working a job only added room for error. To be successful, there was no room for error. Therefore, Rusty spat at the thought of love.

Upon hearing all this, Lily produced a sixth thing for Rusty to constantly think about. She told him that he, apparently, loved food.

Rusty liked to eat, and everyone knew that. There was no great secret to divulge there. Only, he detested that she said he _loved _food. He just didn't think of it that way. Upon hearing the words come out of her mouth, he came to the realization that he had heard some of the guys talk about him and his love for food and how he was constantly eating. He resented that even more still. He wasn't always eating. Hell, he had to sleep some of the time. He wasn't a robot after all, although sometimes he felt like one. For his defense, Rusty had thought of himself to be the brain of the operation. The brain had to have fuel, right? And Rusty was pretty sure that they were just jealous of his freakishly fast metabolism.

Getting back to the main point, Rusty did not love food. After all, it was an instinctual thing; to eat. He couldn't help if he couldn't pass up a good meal now and then. Sure, sometimes he couldn't help but not keep his hands off. But that wasn't love. No, that was just ridiculous. If that was love, then that would have meant that he, in fact, did love Lily Ocean at one time, and that was just impossible.

If Rusty thought anything about love, he thought he would have found it with Isabel. Still, he wasn't sure. He never had the feeling that he couldn't keep his hands off of her, although he did find her quite satisfying.

He had to wonder, though. Was he in love with Isabel? Or was she just a question he had yet to answer? Much like his question about what love was.


	6. Phase One

**Chapter Five **

Phase One

Recon, her favorite part of the entire operation. Sure all the adrenaline was in the heist itself, but Lily found it utterly thrilling to be invisible to other people. The moment she stepped onto the floor at Marc Hollings bank, she was no longer Lily Ocean. She was Ella van de Kamp. She was no longer Danny Ocean's criminal prodigy. Instead, she a twin daughter to a car dealership owner in Michigan. Instead of having ink-black hair, she was a platinum blonde. Yes, recon was her favorite part of the operation. It was like Halloween, but without the candy and for more than one day. She got to be someone completely different, and she loved that feeling.

So when she walked back into the penthouse - in her black mini skirt suit, strappy sandals, low v-neck top, and with the blondest platinum blonde wig she had ever had the pleasure of coming across - Danny was more than a little surprised that he was looking at his daughter. Rusty was sitting on the couch next to him, both with their feet up on the coffee table watching a rerun episode of "Oprah". She pushed past their outstretched legs, sitting in between them after snapping off the television. Danny protested, but Rusty sat as still as he could. "I almost couldn't recognize you," he praised, watching her produce folded up papers from underneath her blazer. "What's this?"

Lily ripped the wig from her head, flipping her hair back to normal before laying the papers on the table and unfolding them. "Phase one."

"Blueprints?" Rusty tried to hide it, but he was a bit awestruck. "Blueprints are my job," he told Danny.

Danny shrugged, "We needed to get the ball rolling, and Lil said she could do it."

Rusty crossed his arms, seeing just what he predicted unfolding before him. Lily tilted closer to him, whispering, "Looks like the score is: Lily two, Rusty zip."

He disregarded her comment. "So what are we looking at?" was all he could think of saying.

"Right now, just a basic idea. I have to enlarge them to get all the detail we need to, but it's what we'd be working with," she explained as she separated the original paper into three different papers. "These are the three different areas we need access to pull this off. I looked into it, and we can't blast our way through, the walls and floor are too thick. First, we need to get past the armed security guards and the randomized security lasers on the first floor..."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Rusty scoffed. He had to admit, this was hurting him a little. This was _his_ job. _He_ was the detail man. Rusty knew that Danny was trying to breed Lily to be his successor, but he didn't have to step on Rusty's territory. That was just bad form.

Lily smiled, not even making the effort to glance at him. "I propose that we have someone create a distraction while someone else goes through the laser field to make it to this code box here, to disarm the system. Of course, we'd need a code for that."

"And I ask again, how are we going to do that?"

"Leave it to me."

Danny raised his eyebrows at her, "You've done it before?"

She didn't respond. Pointing to the second blueprint next to it, she continued. "Then, on the second floor there are pressure sensors. Luckily there are office dividers evenly spaced between here and Holligs office, here. Unluckily, the dividers are only about six inches thick. After that, we need the code for Hollings office, which he keeps on his person at all times."

"Right. So far I can think of jobs for Turk, Virgil, Yen, and Linus. What after we get into the office?"

"Well... here's where it gets tricky. Getting inside the office is the easy part. Once in the office, there's his own private vault behind a bookcase here, and all the money is going to be transacted directly into the vault's computer on the inside. But to get inside, it requires a finger print and voice recognition."

"No explosives there?" Danny asked, rubbing his chin.

"Nope. I mean... I guess we could try, but I wouldn't recommend it. I'm not sure of what exact security is in the vault. I was acutally going to ask you about this here." Pausing, she pulled the third blueprint front and center, her eyes growing wide and her heart staring to beat rapidly. "Oh, shit..."

Rusty finally took some interest, joining the others in leaning over the coffee table. "What?"

Lily rushed through the other two blueprints, turning them over and checking their backsides. In a panic, she threw off the blazer she was wearing and started to examine her person. "Shit, shit, triple shit..." She whispered, twisting around in a tizzy.

Danny stood, grabbing her shoulder so she would stop freaking out long enough to give them an answer on what was going on. "Lily, what is it?"

Her face began flushing bright red. "This isn't the print of Hollings vault."

Rusty looked at the paper sideways, turning his head in awkward angles as he examined it. "Are you sure? Looks pretty sophisticated to me..."

"Yes, I'm sure," she snapped, covering her face with her hands. "This is the print to the private vault on the first floor, the one for all his higher income clients. Goddammit, I must've grabbed the wrong one when I... shit!"

No matter how impressed Danny was with his daughter a moment ago, nothing could hide the disappointment washing over his face and sinking into the corners of his mouth. He rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, trying as hard as he could to mask it, but he couldn't. She saw right through his facade. "Get me that blueprint," he instructed, turning to go back to his own room.

Rusty would have assumed that he would have been excited in this moment, seeing someone who was doing his job fail at what he had perfected. He thought he would have been, if it had been anyone but her. He looked to Lily, who had fallen into a chair, still covering her face in what seemed to be shame. Even though he couldn't see her face, Rusty knew her well enough to know that her eyes had faded to a hazy grey. He shook his head and slowly followed Danny in the elevator and down out of the room.

"Danny?" Out in the hallway, it was only the two of them. Even though they were the only presense in the corridor, he could feel Lily's regret and disappointment in herself leaking out from the creases in the door. He pitied her for two reasons just then. One, because she obviosly tried her hardest and messed up. Two, because she couldn't keep her emotions to herself, even if she tried. "Danny..."

"What, Rusty?" His disappointment was coming out as aggrivation. Now that he was away from Lily, he was fully expressing it.

"Danny, tell me one thing." He knew this wasn't the best time to talk about it, but he was going to anyway. "Remeber when we did the Benedict Job, and I told you that if it was all about Tess, then I was going to walk? Well, I'm giving you an ultimatum."

"Jesus," he sighed, continuing his journey to his room.

"Tell me this isn't about Lily and me..."

Danny stopped again, and glared at his partner. "It isn't about you and Lily," he flat out stated, although they both knew he was lying. He could see the door to his room at the end of the hall, and he started walking with a faster pace.

Rusty raced after him, almost jogging to keep up. "Really? Because Lily and I talked the other day, and she happened to contradict that. It's just a little too much of a coincidence that when I tell you about the trouble I'm having with Isabel, Lily pops back up in my life again. Funny, don't you think?"

"Hysterical," he spat as he produced his card key from his pocket and slammed the door in Rusty's face.

yeah... I'm not really sure how well I'm developing the characters. I think I'm molding them to my personal preferance, but I'm not entirely sure...

review please.

Ruby


	7. Fixing Phase One

**Chapter Six **

Fixing Phase One

Lily pushed the button for the elevator to go to her apartment. Waiting, she wrapped her jacket a little tighter around herself, feeling like everyone could see her and what she was wearing. Underneath the long coat, she was wearing a pair of tight, black shorts, and a black under armor top. Along with the pair of matching gloves in her pocket and her dark boots, it was her usual scam outfit. What made her so uncomfortable was the tightness of the outfit, but she couldn't afford to have loose clothing dangling in her face, or in the path of a security laser. She usually wore the same thing to each casing she did, but felt like everyone could see that she was up to no good. Even with the coat covering her.

She watched the arrow that told her that the elevator was on the first floor. Second. Third. All the way up to her floor. It stopped on the floor below her, and she could only imagine that it was her father getting on to come up, checking to see if she had the blueprint yet. It wasn't Danny. It was Rusty.

He was staring at his shoes as the elevator door opened, dressed in all black himself. Although, it didn't make him look quite as conspicuous as she felt. It just made him look mysterious, even with the ski mask hanging out of his back pocket. "What are you doing here?" she barked at him, thinking that he was going to rag on her for her mistake.

He didn't.

Instead, he held the door open for her and pushed the button to the lobby when she was inside, leaning against the wall. "I owe you. Remember."

"I can do it myself."

"But you don't want to," he responded, watching her build her guard up. "Friends, right?" He held out a hand to her, as a peace offering. He really didn't want to fight with her anymore, it was fruitless. They had dated years ago, and if they couldn't act like adults around each other, they were never going to get this job done.

"I believe we settled on colleagues," she answered, avoiding his gaze but accepting his hand.

"So you have a plan? Or are we just going to wing it?" he smiled, satisfied.

"Give me some credit," she reprimanded, taking a piece of notebook paper out of her back pocket. She handed it to him, then leaned back against the wall and listened to the hum of the elevator's mechanical movements. He studied the sketched drawing she had, while watching her out of the corner of his eye. She had one arm crossed across her chest, the other resting on her hand and reaching around to the back of her neck. He couldn't see where her other hand was, but he knew that she was twirling the longest point of her ponytail, concentrating on what she about to do. He was so consumed on studying her, he hadn't noticed the bag hanging at her side.

"What's in there?"

"Oh. Ella van de Kamp. There's a certain night guard that has a crush on her. I figured I'd just throw on the wig and ask him to let me in first. If he says he can't, then plan B comes into play." Her hands found their way to her hips as a smug expression settled across her counterence. "Although, I don't think plan B is going to have to be used."

He nodded, then followed her out of the building and into a black van parked on the side of the road. Virgil was hanging out of the driver's window, waving them over while Turk yelled at him to get back in the van. "What's all this?"

"You didn't think I was driving, did you?"

Hearing her say it, he remembered just what a horrible driver she really was. She had a lead foot, and not in a good way. Plus, she seemd to rely just a little too much on the anti-lock break system, thinking she could stop on a dime. Now that he thought about it, he was glad that she wasn't driving.

Virgil and Turk argued the entire ride to the bank, but Lily had learned to block them out a long time ago. When they became too loud to ignore, she closed the partition she had installed in the van in case of such a situation. Rusty laughed when she explained that her other encounters with the two had alway resulted in a headache, and they quickly changed the subject onto other members of the crew. One by one they discussed Saul, Reuben, Frank, Livingston, and Basher. "What about these other guys? Yen and Linus?"

Rusty nodded, smiling wildly. It was a trip going back in time with her; remenicing about the jobs they had pulled in the "old days". "The Amazing Yen, you'll like the guy. There isn't much to him, really."

"I figured as much," she responded, reaching underneath the seat she was occupying, and pulling out a bag of chips. Rusty eyed the bag greedily, watching as she slipped a chip from the bag and popped it into her mouth. She was waiting for him to continue, to tell her more about Linus. He didn't respond, only stared at the bag in her hand. "Oh, for pete's sake," she sighed, bending the bag in his direction. Instead of taking one or two, like she had expected, he took the whole bag and began to snack away. She should have guessed. "So what about the kid?"

"Linus? He's Bobby Caldwell's kid."

"No shit? Wow, small world." Lily remembered her last encounter with Bobby Caldwell, and he had never mentioned a son. In fact, he had never mentioned a son period. "He any good?"

"He's getting there. You should have seen him when we took him to a meeting with Matsui."

"Lost in translation? Good times... did he break down?"

"No, but he did try to say something."

"Get out!? And what'd you tell him?"

"We went with the niece being a whore. It got lots of laughs the first time."

She chuckled to herself. Silence fell on both of them, memories evnveloping them in a their paradoxal relationship. This is how it was when they first started getting to know eachother. Lots of awkward smiles, but no awkward silence. Instead, the quiet time was used to contemplate greater things. At one point, they used it to consider weachother. More and more they thought about the other, planning jobs that had specific roles for the other. "Remember my first meeting with Matsui? You and Dad thought it would have been funny to..."

Rusty threw his head back, trying to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, I remember you started to cry. Sorry about that, by the way."

"Rusty Ryan, I don't think I've ever heard you apologize before. Ever."

"Jesus, that was a long time ago."

"It wasn't that long..."

"That was at the lake. Remember?" It seemd like once they started down memory lane, there was no going back. Unfortunately.

The smile wiped from her face, just as it did from his. The lake. They went to the lake to get away from the heat of their previous job. They went to the lake to meet with people like Matsui to discuss possible jobs. But mostly, they just went to the lake to get away from everyone else but eachother. Lily mentally time traveld back to the day she was standing in Rusty's hotel room in Boston, the scrap bok pages shaking in her hands. One of the pictures, the one that used to be her favorite, was taken at the lake. She remembered it like it was yesterday. She had given the camera to Tess - the first time her and Danny were married - and told her to watch. Stealthily, she snuck up on Rusty and tried to jumped on his back so Tess could capture his reaction on film. Instead, he heard her coming up behind him when she accidentaily kicked a pebble. At the last second, he twisted around and grabbed her. Their noses were pressed up against eachother, and she had put her hands on his chest as an instincual reaction to being pulled. His arms had wrapped around her sides. Tess snapped the shot, just like that.

Rusty looked to her, trying to sound cheerful. "So colleagues, then?"

Just like that, Lily realized she could never be colleagues with Rusty. No matter how hard she tried, she could never be his friend, either. Her feelings for him were never going to go away while she was around him, and he had moved on. _Isabel, _she reminded herself, _the woman he loves is Isabel._ She knew that because he had never tried to call her after she left. Not once. In fact, the first time she had spoken to him since was on the plane.

But she couldn't tell him that. That would have just been a moronic move on her part. Instead, she nodded and faked a smile. "Yeah, colleagues."

Neither of them expected the sudden stop Virgil had come to outside of the bank, so both of them were uncomfortably jerked into the seats in front of them. Lily hit her head, unable to react in time. Rusty managed to hit his head off his wrist. "HERE!" Turk yelled through the partition.

"Thanks," Lily replied, adding a few choice obsenitites to follow her unpleasnt shift forward.

Rusty slid open the van door, and Lily popped on the blonde wig. In seconds, Lily Ocean had transformed into Ella van de Kamp. This was the other part of disguises that she loved so much. You not only got a new name, but a new identity. Lily Ocean remembered days passed, days where she was happy and thought she was going to be happy for the rest of her life. Ella van de Kamp, on the other hand, had no recollection of anyone remotely named Rusty.

Moments later, Phase One was completed when Ella walked out of the bank with the blueprints to the right vault under her arm. Rusty walked up to her just as she was pulling the wig off and turning back into Lily. She handed him the prints, the smug smile returning. "Here, you're the detail man."

"You just walked in and asked for the blueprints to a top security vault and then left?"

"No. I told him I forgot my cellphone at my desk and asked him if he would please, pretty please with a sugar on top, go get it for me while I waited patiently if I promised to give him my cellphone number afterwards."

"And what number did you give him?" he asked, his eyebrows bunching together in the middle of his forehead.

"You didn't change your number, right?"

"Regrettably not," he mumbled, rubbing his chin. He couldn't help but let the smile slide across his face. "You know, this still counts as one."

She jumped into the van, then motioned for him to go sit next to her so they could leave. "You didn't do anything!" she argued.

"I made an effort. Effort counts."

She thought a moment, bracing herself as Virgil strapped himself in and sped out of he parking lot for the fin of it. "Okay, I guess I can take one point off. New score: Lily one, Rusty...still nothing."


	8. Successful Relationships and The Plan

_hey guys! this chapter is really just sort of an longer explanation than chapter five. It also goes into detail about Danny's views on relationships and why he's trying to hook Rusty and Lily up again. _

_Hope you enjoy!_

_and review please! this is my first Ocean's fanfic, and constructive critism is welcomed for improvement._

**Chapter Seven**

**Successful Relationships **

"Isabel called," Rusty informed, staring at the blueprints to the vault. He had been staring at them since late last night, ever since he had parted ways with Lily.

"When?" Danny was at the mini-bar, mixing a drink. Something red, full of vodka. He had just gotten off the phone with Tess and needed something to help him forget that he was so far away from her and Isadora. Izzy's cold had gotten a little worse, turning into a fever and a nasty cough. He felt bad for his little girl, and wished he could be back with her to read her a bedtime story and dish out the cough medicine when she would finally start to complain. He wanted to be more of a dad to Isadora than he was to Lily. But, then again, Lily hadn't turned out so bad.

"This morning. Says she needs time to think. Something about space, and breathing or something..." Rsty spoke, knocking Danny from his thoughts.

"Ah, so she's having second thoughts."

"No."

Danny stopped, confused. He pivoted ever so slightly in Rusty's direction, squinting at him to express his feeling. "She said she needs space, but she's not having second thoughts?"

Rusty made the small gesture of shaking his head, resting it on his shoulder as his eyebrows arched. Danny quickly understood that Rusty was indicating himself. "Get out of town," he kidded, deciding that Rusty needed a stiff drink too. He went to work at the mini bar, then sat down at his left side. "You? I never would have thought."

Rusty despised when Danny was trying to be sarcastic. He set down the glass Danny had made him on the side of the blueprint, leaving small watermarks. They were going to have to destroy the prints after the job, anyway. A few water rings wouldn't matter. He just didn't want to have a drink right at that moment. All he really wanted was to get the job done and then get away from New York. Rusty didn't feel like himself in New York. He needed to go back to his hotel, to Isabel. Hopefully, once the job was over, everything would go back to normal. New York was playing games with him, and he had no way of fighting back. Rusty had convinced himself it was the air. It had to be. Yes, New York was making him a peson he was not. And Rusty was not liking it. Cracking his fingers, he turned his attention back to the blueprints. "Livingston can handle the computer inside. Stupid bastard figured he spent so much money on a top of the line security system that he didn't have to spend on a decent network system. The only problem is, Linvingston's going to have to do some fieldwork."

"Can he handle that?"

"We'll find out."

Lily poked her head into the room, the followed through by inching herself through the door carefully. Rusty noticed her first, her hair tightly woven into a bun on the top of her head. She wore a pair of pajama pants with coffee mugs on them, a tanktop exposing her arms and chest. Not to mentions the flashes of midrift when she moved a certain way. It was so different from what he was usually seeing her in, but it seemed much more natural to him. "Good timing," he pointed out, looking at the clock.

She acknowledged him, nodding and sliding into an armchair across from the two. Hugging her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her shins and smiled. "The others'll be here soon. Everything's ready."

Danny smiled back at her, panistakingly porud of his daughter for fixing her mistake. He hadn't gotten the chance to tell her yet, but he knew that she knew he was proud just by the look he was tossing her way. "Good," he encouraged, turning on a projector and aiming it at a blank spot on the wall. The floor plans for the first floor of the blank covered the taupe surface, drawings and noted strewn around the edges. "The recon work assigned?"

"Yeah, but..." she tried to finish, but there was a knock on Danny's door. Instead of waiting to hear her out, Danny went to open the door.

One by one, the others filed into the room and took their seats around the image projected onto the wall. Danny waited until everyone was comfortably seated ready to start. "Okay, in the interest of time we're just going to jump in. Shall we?"

Rusty stood, explaining the first part of the plan.

"Gentlemen... and lady... tomorrow starts with Phase Two: Reconnaissance. Lily should've talked to you already about yout assignments tomorrow. We need codes, and we need them badly. So, tell me what you're all going to be doing from here on out?" Rusty pointed Lily first, as if he didn't already know.

"I'm going to be 'working' when my computer all of a sudden just goes crazy."

"You need help messing up the system?" He asked, looking to Livingston.

"Trust me, Rusty, I don't need any help with that. I hardly know what I'm doing as it is. Then, after I get a supervisor's okay, I'm going to make the call to Livingston who's going to be playing the role of a techniition in the bank's chosen company. I've got the uniform for you, by the way. Stop by room later."

"Then I'm going to come in and fix her computer, so I can sinc my laptop with the bank's system so we can keep tabs on Hollings," Livingston continued.

Rusty pointed to Basher next. "I go' the shit end of the stick and 'ave to follow the wanker around all day."

"Bash, it's important," Lily soothed. She had known Basher for as long as she could remember, and knew that he was having trouble with not being able to blow anything up or destroy anything.

"Yeah, yeah."

Virgil, Turk, Frank and Yen were doing general recon. "I want to know everything about anything. I want to know who works when, when they take breaks, when they go to lunch. I want to know who sits where. I want to know their seconds cousin's maiden name. Got it?" Rusty instructed. None of them were happy with their assignment, he knew. It was all still important, though. Even if they were going in after dark and after everyone was gone for the day, Rusty considered it important to know everything. That way, there was less chance for a mistake. Or worse, getting caught.

Linus was last. "And Rusty and me are in for a meeting with Hollings."

Danny looked to Rusty, a question lingering in his gaze. "That's not tomorrow. That's when we find out he's making his move," Rusty explained. "To get the voice recognition."

Danny was satisfied, and instructed Rusty to continue.

"Phase Three: Execution. Here's the first floor. Lily's up first."

Lily stood, walking over to the blueprint on the wall. "The security station is here," she pointed, "There are two armed guards posted each night. Virgil and Turk, we need you guys first. You need to get those guards to open the doors to the parking lot."

Virgil threw his arm over the back of the couch, smiling widely. "What are you thinking?"

Lily shrugged, "Surprise me. I figure a little knockout gas and some of those plastic zip ties should do the trick with handling it. Then I'm going to get through the laser field and disable the alarm."

"How?" Danny asked, wanting to be it all to be precise and perfected.

"With years of yoga, about thirty seconds, and a code which either Basher or Linus and Rusty are going to have to get for me. After that, it's a climb up the elevator shaft for the second part of Phase Three."

"Elevator shaft?' Danny hadn't heard anything about an elevator shaft before.

The color in Lily's eye faded, predicting another of her father's 'disappointment' glances coming on. "There's no other way. The elevator are turned off for the night. Even is we managed to get the power back on, there's a camera inside."

"Can't we cut the signal or something?"

Lily looked to Livingston, having just had this conversation with him moments before the briefing. "The thing is, it would involve too much time to bypass the camera signal and get everything working the way we really wanted. Time is the one thing we don't have," Livingston supported.

Lily curved the corners of her mouth slightly, mentally thanking him for the save. "Plus, Livingston would have to be around to monitor it, and he's going to be in the vault with you guys."

"Well... what about the stairs?"

"No, the stairways have way to many cameras. There's no way we'd be able to go up the stairwell without being caught on video."

He didn't like it, but Danny had to accept it. "Okay, so we climb?"

"Well, when I said climb, I didn't really mean climb. I have some of those wire lifts left over from a previous job I did. They should hold your weight." Lily turned back to the projected image. She examined it momentarily, then decided that she had explained everything she had to explain.

Rusty took center stage again. "Yen's up next. The entire second floor is fitted with pressure sensors, which we can't disable from anywhere other than Hollings office. Luckily, this is where all the bankers handle their buisness, so there are office dividers evenly spaced from the elevator to Hollings' door. Outside the door is another alarm system, which operates the door. Enter the code, get into the office, and disable the pressure sensors."

Yen asked a question, only some of them understanding what he was saying. Rusty answered him, "No, the door is electronically operated so you'll have to get the code."

"Then, once in the office," Rusty narrated as he clicked a button on the projector and the blueprints for the vault popped up, "It's me, Danny, Livingston, and Linus from there."

"Explain how the money is going to be transacted again?" Danny asked, sinking back into his chair a little more. This was all seemingly smooth, and hoped it was going to stay that way.

"Hollings is going to make the transaction from a secured phone line somewhere outside the bank. That, we know for sure because of Lily's snooping skills." Rusty paused, finding the wide smile spreading across Lily's face amusing. "He plans on picking up the money the next day, and wiring it another account wherever he's headed."

"Why can't we just get the money and run? Won't all this bank work leave a paper trail?" Saul asked, crossing his arms. Some nodded their heads, glad he was the one to ask the question because they weren't understanding themselves.

"No, the money doesn't exist yet. Right now, it's all a bunch of numbers and symbols that represent money, but isn't backed by gold or silver or whatever. Once he transferrs the money to his own bank, it becomes real money."

"So how are we going to take it? I'm not sure, but I don't think a bank leaves 300 million in cash hanging around," Linus spoke.

Lily stood again, "Good question, and you're right. I thought of that, and Rusty and I came up with a solution. We set Saul up with an alias, a buisness owner with a fictitious name and a very hush hush buisness. He's going into the bank tomorrow and open an account directly linked to an independant vault on the first floor where Hollings likes to keep all the money for his better paid customers. Saul's going to deposit a million as a starter so no one will get suspicious when 300 million is added on when Livingston transfers the money from Hollings' account to Saul's. After that, when it becomes real money, Saul is going to go back complaining about how the he heard that bank isn't safe to hold all that money in, or how he suspects someone is stealing from him... because word will get out that Hollings is a skimmer... Frank, do you still have that contact at the _Times_?"

Frank smiled deviantly. "I'll give him a call."

"Great,' Lily praised, turning back to Saul. "Use your creativity. Just make sure you get all the money in cash form because they're going to fight for you to stay in their service. If they can't win you over, they're going to offer to transfer the money somewhere else. That can't happen, because then a paper trail starts. Get that money in cash. It may take a while for a single brankch to pull together, but they'll do it if you're persuasive enough."

"Yeah, I got it." Saul waived her off, thinking that she was doubting him. Lily really wasn't, she was just being thurough.

Danny clapped his hands together, causing everyone's gaze to return to him. "I think that's it for now guys. Tomorrow morning, meet back here at five thirty. Don't be late." He then proceeded to stand, and usher everyone out of the door. Lily and Rusty were the last, and he closed the door on him before they could even think about leaving. "Tell me, exactly how much is this operation going to cost us?"

Lily looked to Rusty, who looked to Danny. "About... five hundred..." Lily roughly estimated.

Danny's eyebrows shot up, a hand covering his mouth. "Five hundred thousand?"

"No, Dad. Five hundred dollars."

If it was possible, his eyebrows arched farther. "You're shitting me, right? Five hundred dollars?"

"There's not really much of an investment here, Danny," Rusty smirked. He had just proved his point earlier - that Lily was not the same type of criminal that they were - and Danny had helped him.

"The only thing that's really going to cost us is some basic callibrations to the wire lifts I have, just to make sure they're safe enough for your weight. Then after that, there's really only a need for a tape recorder, and the ingredients to make this wax coating stuff Livingston was telling me about," Lily agreed.

"Wax coating?"

"For your hands," Rusty chimed, "You coat it on your hands, and it's fine enough to mold to a fingerprint left on a glass or something. Interesting stuff, really."

Lily walked over to her father, pulling on his shoulder so he would bend down. She kissed him on the cheek, told him goodnight, and headed back to her penthouse.

Rusty headed for the door, but Danny stopped him once again. "You two seem to be getting along."

Rusty rolled his neck back. "I just told you my girlfriend troubles, and you're pushing your daughter on me. Smooth, Danny. Real smooth."

"You said yourself that you were having second thoughts. You ever think that maybe it's for a reason?"

"Because you made it a reason," Rusty retorted. Rusty usually valued his talks with Danny. Usually. Then again, he was usually asking Danny for his advice about trouble he was having with his relationship, and not trying to defend it. "Did she ever tell you that she plotted my death? I walked in on her one day practicing her alibi in the mirror. Explain to me how that is something I would want to go back to."

Danny shut the door tightly, hoping that no one would disturb them during their talk. "Did she ever tell you how many times she was planning on killing me? Last year, I remember she was going coat my food with some untraceable drug. Two months ago, she was going to run me over with her car. Then she got more crafty, so she wouldn't get caught. Last month, she was going to knock me unconcious and prop my body in a noose while I was standing on an ice block. She said that way, the ice would melt and it would look like I hanged myself. A couple of days ago, she was going to beat me to death with a shovel. Should I go on?"

"If anything, you convinced me to never get on her bad side again."

"I'm saying, that relationships are complicated. If you didn't fight, and if she wasn't as quirky as she is, the relationship would have gotten boring and it would have ended a long time before it did. The key to a healthy relationship is to realize that the man is always wrong. It's all about her, and you're always wrong."

"Yeah, but,,,:

"Always wrong. And n matter what, you just have to say yes to everything. Even the fights were all about her, I assume. Am I wrong?" He paused, taking in the expression Rusty had on his face. "You still had pictures from when..."

"How'd you...?"

"Lily saw."

"No..."

"In your room..."

Rusty was at a loss for words. He never really knew why he kept those pictures, or why they were the first thing he had packed whenever he was getting ready for a job.

Rusty knew Danny and him were close because they could finish each other's sentences, but he never knew Danny could read his mind. At least not until Danny answered his unvoiced questions with, "It's because she was the one that got away. What girl has ever walked away from you, Rusty? How many girls have you given that chance to? How many girls have you let come as far as Lily had. You didn't like that she had the power in the relationship, so you let her leave."

"Danny..."

"Just hear me out. Look, usually Tess and you are the ones who stop me when I'm not making sense, right? Well I just gave Tess this exact same speech a little while ago and, while it took a little convincing, she agreed with me. As much as she loves Isabel, she agreed with me."

"Why are you doing this, Danny?!" Rusty was starting to get angry. He was taking all his frustration out on his jaw, biting down as hard as he could.

"Because my daughter isn't happy, and she hasn't been happy in a long time. Did you see how she smiled at you when you complimented her? I can't remember the last time I saw her..."

Rusty pushed past him, he was just that fed up. This was none of Danny's business, and he had no right to imply what Rusty understood he was implying. "See you in the morning," he growled, slamming the door behind him.

Danny shook his head. He considered Rusty's frustration steming from his unavailable emotions, but he knew that it was really because he never saw Danny as - as Lily put it - Danny Ocean, matchmaker. To Rusty, he was always the relationship guru, the guy who listened to him when he talked about fights and make ups. Really, Danny just wanted to make up for all the unhappiness he had caused Lily as a child. If pushing her back together with the only man that never really made her genuinely smile. Then again, Lily was probably going to be looking to buy a shovel when she heard that he had talked to Rusty. He would have to live with the consiquences, however painful or life-threatening.

And then still, Lily had made it a habit to remind him that his plans never really worked out the way he imagined. That only left room for more consiquences.


	9. The Intoxicated Truth

**Chapter Eight**

**The Intoxicated Truth**

Linus jumped, feeling the sudden sensation of a brushing motion across his chest, eyes darting downward in a frantic attempt to catch the culprit. Lily had walked past him in the over-crowded bar, her hand running the width of his shoulders. She had succeeded in getting his attention, and proceeded to rope him in offering him one of the pair of long neck, green bottles clenched in her fist. He followed her to a table in the back of the room, watching her curiously.

She had a sway in her step that made her glide across the room with an intoxicated grace. She was clearly drunk, but it was an elegant drunk. At least, if there was such a thing.

He felt compelled to ask, "Are you here by yourself?"

"Not anymore," she hummed, taking hold of the bottle and pressing it into the hot skin on her cheek. Normally, she wasn't a beer drinker, but lately she hadn't been feeling normal.

When Lily saw Linus walk through the door, she knew that this was her opportunity to balance things out for herself. "So listen, you and Rusty are friends, right?"

He answered, but his voice was drowned out by the volume of the music. To compensate, he moved closer and screamed the next part. "Did he say something?"

The sheer giddiness in his voice and on his face made Lily understand that he wasn't quite as high on the totem pole as she had expected. Then she remembered the conversation she and Rusty had about him in the van that night. "You're Bobby Caldwell's kid, right?"

Her newest question knocked the smile from his face. "Yeah." His answer was hollow and shaken.

"I knew your dad. My dad and your dad used to...," but she paused. The expression on his face sunk even deeper, so she decided to change the subject. "You know, that's neither here nor there. What I really wanted to talk to you about was someone named Isabel."

"Isabel? Rusty's Isabel?"

"Yeah."

"What about..."

Lily raise a hand to him. She knew she was drunk. She knew he knew she was drunk. In her drunkenness, she was getting extremely annoyed with all the questions he was asking. _She_ was supposed to be the one to ask questions. _She_ was the one who was supposed to be choosing the subject of the conversation. All she wanted to talk about was Isabel. That's all. All she wanted was some questions answered. Okay, so maybe she was a little bit jealous. Just a smidge, though. Plus, the music was getting just a little to loud for her by now, and her a buzzing noise had formed in her ears. "Everything. I want to know everything. Pretend it's a job, or something."

Linus folded his hands in front of him. "Long story short, her name is Isabel Lahiri. They met in Europe about four years ago, broke up and got back together about a year ago, not really sure about the time line. Now they live together in Rusty's hotel in Los Angeles."

For years ago... probably close to when they broke up. Right before the Benedict Job. Right before her father had gotten out of prison... She decided to speed this up. "And is Miss Lahiri a thief, criminal, or anything else that has to do with stealing, lying, and cheating?"

"No. She's a detective."

This didn't surprise Lily in the least. Rusty also sought to acquire things that were just out of his reach. Hence why he became a thief. Hence why he dated Lily Ocean, untouchable baby girl of one of his colleagues. Hence why he was so unnaturally attracted to cops. Yes, Lily could have seen it coming from miles away. "And does she know what Rusty does for a living?"

Linus nodded hesitantly. "There was a big fuss after the Benedict Job, and she eventually found out."

"And she didn't have a problem?"

"At first. Then she found out her father is Gaspar LeMarque."

Lily's theory about criminal parents and their prodigy came back in mind, three perfect examples stewing in front of her. "No shit?"

Linus shook his head.

Lily took a tighter hold of her beer, brought the bottle to her lips and tilted her head back. After she finished her bottle, they just sat and stared at each other. Lily noticed just how innocent and pure of heart Linus was. And he was genuine about it, not like how Lily faked when she put on her puppy-dog eyes and pouty face. He was sincere, which she figured would have been a nice reprieve from the guys she usually dated. And then dumped.

It must have been the beer, or maybe the several shots she had done earlier before she had spotted Linus walk in, but Lily decided to get up and link arms with him.

He walked with her, sensing that he shouldn't leave her alone. He was right, because Lily had only made it about five feet before doubling over and depositing the contents of her stomach on his shoes.

Wincing, he helped her into a cab and headed back to the brownstone. He nearly had to carry her from the cab to her bed, where he tucked her in before turning to leave.

Vomiting cleansed her sensibility somewhat, but she was feeling the effects of all the alcohol on her body. She craned her neck just in time to catch him exiting her bedroom. "Sorry about your shoes."

He pivoted back to her. "Oh... yeah, don't worry about it."

"No, really. I guess that last beer pushed me over the edge," she explained, curling deeper underneath her blankets. She couldn't even remember everything she had to drink, but it was making everything come up front. In his presence - with his innocent and compassionate feel - she was feeling incredibly vulnerable. And maybe a little more that a smidge jealous. At this point, she would have said anything to make him stay. "Dammit, my dad is going to be mad."

After the words left her mouth, another theory started to form in her mind. She didn't want Linus to stay with her because she thought he was making her feel better. She wanted Linus to stay to feel empathy for her, to pity her. She wanted him there so she could feel bad. She wanted him there for the same reason she had so much to drink even though she knew she had a job in the morning. To have an excuse. He was a witness, and the drinking was her excuse. Just so she could drown herself in pity and loathing and denial, and have a reason.

Rusty and Isabel who?

"Uh... I'm sure Danny won't..."

Lily weakly smirked at him. "You're right. He won't be mad, he'll be disappointed. That's what me and you have in common, kid. Our fathers want us to be the best, setting unusually high standards and whatnot. Hell, bank heists aren't my dad's style. Why do you think he even chose to do this job?"

Linus shrugged, taking a seat in an armchair on the other side of the room. "Because it's a lot of money."

"That's such a novice answer. First, it's because he's trying to get me to be like Rusty, the son he wishes he had. The perfect partner. Second, he's trying to get me and Rusty back together. That one, I haven't really put my finger on yet. Whether it's because me and him would be the perfect partners, or because he thinks it's the right thing is another matter."

Linus's gaze lifted to her, getting caught in her blue eyes. "You and Rusty?"

"No shit, Sherlock!" she yelled, sitting straight up. The moment she realized she said it, she regretted it. "Sorry, it's the alcohol talking. But, yeah, Rusty and I were a thing a while ago."

A while ago. Years. It seemed like it was yesterday. It made an anger fill up inside her, something that she had been storing ever since that fateful day. He had promised her, and he had broken his promise. He claimed it wasn't really about the promise, that it was just Lily being paranoid. No, it was about the promise. "IT WAS ABOUT THE GODDAMN PROMISE!" she vocalized, causing Linus to get up from his chair and inch towards the door.

"What?"

"He promise me! He promised me that he would stop being my father's little play toy and stop fucking every woman in sight just so he and my father could con someone and get a pretty penny out of it... He promised me that he would be faithful to me... He promised me that I was going to be the only one... Goddammit! Why couldn't he see that it meant a lot to me? Why couldn't he see that what he did was a complete betrayal of whatever we had? I gave him his creative space. I did! He could still pretend t to be the playboy and just not break out the condoms, but... Oh, God!... and now he's giving _HER _everything that was supposed to be mine? He's living with her. He's not screwing anyone other than her...I hate her. I hate him! No, I don't hate him. I hate that I don't hate him. I still love him. I'll always love him. I just wanted him to love me back. Is that so much to ask? Really? No, Rusty's always going to be a whore in the end. It makes me wonder why he didn't end it before I did. God... how I just wish that everything was so...different..." A drowsiness fell over her as she continued to talk, slowly confessing all her feelings and thoughts to an almost stranger.

"Uh huh..."

"I mean, I loved him! I did! I do! I know everything about him. I know... people tell me that he's changed and that things are different, but I know. I know that he loves waffles, but hates pancakes. Hates them. He'd throw a hissy fit whenever there's even a pancake in the room. Even if it's not on his plate! Weird... but I loved that about him. I also know that he automatically associates the words surprise, gift, bonding, and the phrase 'get together' with sex and only sex. Oh God... the sex..."

And that was the point when Linus put on his mental earmuffs. He was aware she was still talking, but he was too much of a gentlemen - and something of a pansy, according to Basher - when it came to the topic of sexually related things. He held those earmuffs in place, firmly, until he was sure she had stopped and drifted into the thoughts of her own mind. He just hoped that she would be able to pull it together by morning.

Lily had contemplated many theories in her lifetime, finding it fascinating to study and observe human behavior. Very few times had she ever remembered her thoughts. Only the important ones really stuck out.

Another theory popped into her head as she drifted off to sleep. One she was going to remember, and one that required no explanations or illustrations: A drunken rant is the most honest truth you will ever get from a person. Ever.

And her rant to Linus had just revealed a truth to herself that she had been killing herself to keep concealed. The truth was out, and it was a bitch. She was still in love with Rusty Ryan more than she ever could have cared for. And she knew just what she had to do, no matter how hard it was going to be for herself. And her father.


	10. A Moment

**Chapter Ten**

**A Moment**

"DAMN IT!"

Red lights flashed, illuminating the basement of the apartment building with its fiery, warning light. Lily picked herself up off the ground, waited until the laser beams turned back to a safe, florescent green, then jogged back to where she started. 

Rusty leaned in the stairwell doorway, watching her tentatively. The a series of twenty different lasers moved in a truly randomized fashion, weaving around the room. He gazed at Lily, rolling her neck in an effort to loosen up. The last fall she had taken had been a nasty one, her head crashing down on the cement floor due to an overly awkward position. 

She studied the movement of the green beams for a second longer, just enough time to watch one pass over the floor before her feet, then she stepped into the field. Her first move was to bend backwards, limbo-ing underneath three lasers passing over her at a higher distance. She folded in half, then collapsed on the floor. Rusty could tell she was holding her breath as the forth laser narrowly passed over her nose. After the fourth laser cleared completely, and she was sure it was safe to move again, she jumped into a kneeling pose to position herself on her hands. She hovered for a moment, then let her feet fall over her head until she was on the floor again. 

Rusty cocked his head, an amused smile fixated on his face. He knew the next move she performed was called "Proud Warrior", although he had never seen it performed to the extant that Lily had stretched herself to. The reason why he knew the name to that position he would take to the grave with him. 

Coming out of "Proud Warrior", Lily planted her palm on the floor and swung her legs through the air, bypassing lasers seventeen and eighteen. She tried to short her one handed cartwheel, her toe narrowly missing laser nineteen, but too much of her weight had shifted to one side. It caused her shoulder to come crashing down on the cement, the lasers turning that deadly color red. If it had been a real recreation of the bank's security system, a loud siren would have started screaming in its high, pitched wail. Lucky for their ears, and the peace of everyone within a four block radius, Livingston had advised on keeping that little detail out. 

"FUCK!" 

Rusty straightened himself, concerned when she hesitated to get up. Even when vertical, she clutched her shoulder. From the distance between them, he could see her nails digging into her skin. Lily tended to do things like that when she hurt herself, mostly due to her incredibly small tolerance to pain. She'd cause herself some other bodily harm to transfer the pain to a less painful area. 

He felt that his silence has completed its purpose and disposed of it. "You okay?" 

Lily's head snapped up, her hand dropping from her shoulder to her elbow. "Fine." 

Rusty reached out and checked her shoulder. "Nothing's dislocated," he responded. She collected herself, slowly walking away from him. "How many times have you…" 

"Sixteen." That was a lie. 

"And how many…"

"Not once. Not one fucking time! I can't do this." Another beautifully acted out lie.This was her chance to see just where sheand Rusty stood with each other, and a little acting was going to get her some answers. 

First, he wondered just when they had formed such a relationship that she could finish his sentences. Then he voiced his next thought. "You _can_ do this. I know. I know how flexible you are…" 

"Real nice, Russ. Turning my failure into a sex joke." 

"Okay, not what I meant." 

Lily gave him a sideways glance that senta tingle down his spine. A good tingle. Just like the kind he got right before he would lay his hands on the particular item he was stealing. The kind that made him smile the perverted smile of a teenage boy commandeering his first Playboy. 

That was always how Rusty looked at their relationship, and both of them knew it. Lily was a job to him, and he hadn't walked away with the prize in the end. The mission was not accomplished - whatever that was, he had yet to figure out - so the shivers and tingles and all other adrenaline ridden feelings were still there, waiting to be satisfied. 

"I waiting," Lily chimed, tapping her foot impatiently. A devilish glare was hidden behind her steely blue eyes, smirking at him along with her intentions. She couldn't help it. Not only was Rusty's smile contagious, she needed some answers. And she was going to get some. Except…Rusty had yet to break eye contact with her, and she was finding it a little hard to concentrate on what she was really doing. 

She blinked several times, brushing it aside and focusing on the tapping of her foot. 

Then, she realized the aggressive approach was not the way to go this time. With that, the devilish glare and the smile disappeared. 

She forced tears to form in her eyes. Lily figured she would give him the classic 'Damsel-in-Distress' routine. "I just…Dad…I told him I could do it….and now… I'm just going to disappoint him again and again and again. All he ever wants from me is the best… I messed up with the maps, and now I messed up on this…"

Rusty walked up to her, lifting her chin with his thumb and pointer finger. "You can do it, Lily. You just need to calm down. Take a few deep breaths and reassess the situation." He gave her the exact advice he would have given herself. If nothing, it comforted himself. 

Lily tried to stop the tears - or at least tune them down a bit - but she just couldn't. Rusty had moved his hand from her chin, and now cupped her cheeks in his hands. He wiped away her tears - which had become uncontrollable, because the truth in her act was starting to hit her harder than expected - with the pads of this thumbs, drawing her closer in towards him. 

She latched onto his wrists. At first it was an attempt to push him away, but Lily just couldn't let go. 

"Screw Danny," he comforted, leaning his head forward until his forehead was touching hers. 

Lily closed her eyes. She felt that if she couldn't see the situation, she didn't have to deal with it. 

She was getting her answers, and she didn't like them. 

Her stomach began twisting in knots, her mind racing about where to go next. She didn't want physical contact. Physical contact was what was going throw her over the deep end. Correction, it _had_ thrown her over the deep end. Along with the knots she was experiencing extreme heat just south of her belly button, memories rushing back to her. Memories she had worked hard to suppress. 

Lily's hands stayed clenched onto his wrists, although he moved his hands to her hips. Lily felt him twist her hips, contorting her pelvis to his own. He was fitting the puzzle pieces back together. Lily found at an early stage of the relationship that her body fit perfectly into his. It was like she was made to fit specifically into each and every groove in his body. 

"Rusty…"

"Shhh," he cooed. He, too, was trying to detach himself from the situation, but was finding it hard to. Talking was only going to complicate things. His lips lingered over hers, too close but yet too far away. He could feel her breath sweeping into his mouth, and the taste of chocolate covered strawberries filled his taste buds. Oh, how she tasted so delicious. 

"Rusty, do you know why I wanted you to build this for me?"

"To practice." 

She turned her head, but was still rendered motionless by the past. "Oh, come on. You know that isn't why." 

Yes, he knew. He just wanted to pretend that it wasn't true. With that, he realized just why he wasn't able to pull himself away. He didn't want the moment to end. Now that Lily had ruined it, he wanted to be as far away as possible. Especially since anger was starting to overpower him because the moment was ruined. "Just stop, okay. Don't…" 

"Have you been in your room today, Rusty?" She let his wrists go as he finally pulled away.

"Look, I know it's because you didn't want me to snoop. Okay? Can we just let it go?" 

"…Partly. But there was something else…"

"Lily, please. I'm asking nicely…"

"… I called Isabel."She wished that was a lie, but, sadly, it wasn't. 

Rusty's jaw dropped. He had just been hit by a verbal bus. "You what?" 

Lily took a much needed deep breath. "I was in your room the other day, and I found her number in your cell phone… well, I was actually looking for it… I asked her to come to New York."

"You what!"

Lily startedspeaking more rapidly, trying to explain as much as she could before his fuse ran just a little too short. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of a single, non-crazy sounding excuse. Instead, she simply stated, "Rusty, I did what was best for you."

"Tell me you didn't just say that," Rusty grunted, running an agitated hand over his face. He was trying to keep his composure, but both of them knew that he was more easy to anger than one Danny Ocean. 

"Whether you want to admit it or not, I did what was best for you and you know it!"

"Oh, fuck you, Lily. You don't know what's best for me! If you did, then you wouldn't have left in the first place!"

"You made me!"

Part of him - the part deep, deep down, that no one ever acknowledges - knew that it was true. He preferred to keep it down there. "How the hell do you think that that's what's best for me? You don't know me anymore, Lily." 

The words coming out of his mouth made her heart sink. "I know that you love her, Rusty. And I know that she's running away from you!"

"You don't know shit!"

"You never called me, Rusty! Not when I left, not once. You must really care about her to try and hold on to her, because that's just not you…" They had started circling each other, faces growing red with frustration and a little embarrassment. 

"This is none of your business. Butt out, Lily. I mean it. It's none of your business." His head was angled down now, causing him to look over his eyebrows at her. It made him look more menacing and threatening, and that's exactly what he was going for. 

She didn't buy it. "No, Rusty. You made it my business when you started jeopardizing the job because of everything that's going on around you. You've been letting this all get to you, and that makes it my business," she argued, copying his stance. 

They continued their dance around each other, shoulders hunched and eyes squinted. They were like two lions, locked in a battle for dominance, and neither of them was going to back down without a fight to the death. Lily cocked her head, looking at Rusty as prey. Something to be stalked. Rusty glared at Lily as the enemy. Something that had to be stopped. 

On the back burner of his mind, Rusty had the perfect retort to put her in her place. He had often used it when they were getting into a heated battle, when he really wanted to make her cry. Now was one of those times. 

Mentally preparing himself for her backlash, Rusty straightened to his full height. "God, you're just like you father!" he sighed, pivoting to storm back to his room. 

"Oh, fuck no!" she screamed, her mouth flying open. She couldn't believe he had just used that against her. The one thing Lily had never told anyone - until Rusty came along - was that she secretly loathed her father for putting such great expectations on her. Another part of her deep, dark feeling was because Danny had that habit of sticking his nose where it didn't belong. It ate away at her soul because she felt the way she did, but there wasn't much to be done about it. To get it off her chest, she told Rusty, and Rusty just planted that mental time bomb on her as revenge. 

She ran after him, catching up with him at the bottom of the stairs. She clamped onto his shoulder, twisting him with such force that he felt like he was suffering from whiplash. Before his eyes could even adjust to the change, her palm collided into his check, jerking his neck to the side. 

He recovered just in time to see her wind up again. He reached out, grabbing her forearm before she could make anymore contact. She tried to wrench her arm away, but he held on tighter. She tried again, and only succeeded in pulling herself closer to him. "Let go of me," she ordered, thrashing her hardest. "Goddammit, Rusty! I said let go!"

Rusty's eyes darted around Lily's raging figure. He didn't know what he was doing, but he sure as hell had no intention of letting her go. He was going to be the one to walk away this time, not her. No, not her. 

But then…

It was like he had left his body and was watching the entire scene from somewhere above them. Rusty watched himself as he silently, somberly, reached out with his other hand and grasp onto her shoulder. He pulled her body into his one more time, then moved his arm to encompass her waste so he could pick her up. 

Lily stopped thrashing, now staring down at Rusty's figure. She wrapped her free arm around his neck to secure herself, then let him manipulate her position until her lips were almost on top of his. He stopped there, then let her make the next move. 

Without hesitation, she reached her neck out and parted her mouth against his. She rememberedhis kisses. Oh, how she lovedhis kisses. Open mouthed, tongue-dueling, teasing, mint flavored kisses that reached to her core. 

He allowed her fully, falling back against the steps. He didn't care that the cement stairs were pressing against his spine, contorting it in an extremely painful fashion. All Rusty cared about was that she was on top of him, her weight resting on his own. Then, suddenly, he was back inside of his body. He was aware that that steps were beneath him. He was aware of the pain it was casing. And he was aware that her lips were gone, and she was no longer where he wanted her to be. 

He plucked himself up from the bottom of the stairway, taken back by what had happened. She was standing back by the lasers, her arms wrapped around herself. Here eyes gaped at him, widened with a confusion he had never seen on her before. Instead of making him feel the same thing, though, it strengthened his decision to walk over to her and pick up where she left off. 

Lily stepped away from his advance, getting into the path of one of the lasers. The color change startled her, and she was forced to step out of the lasers path. Into his chest. 

Rusty took her into his arms once more, but Lily resisted him by holding her head down. He tilted her chin up so she could meet his gaze. This was all wrong, but he just couldn't stop himself anymore. This was the reason he kept those pictures of her with him at all times. This was the reason he agreed to come to New York and help with this job. This was what made him smile when he heard Danny say "settle down".Those twowords.

Lily shouldn't have smiled, but she did. 

The urge was just too strong for Rusty to ignore. Seeing her so defined and elegant, her skin glowing pink from all the exertion she had put herself through. Her eyes were glittering in the dim lighting; it was just too much for his willpower. Or lack of will power, apparently. His actions were without thought. Pure instinct. 

His mouth molded over hers, never questioning. Her lips parted instantly, her upper body falling into his arms. Every muscle loosened with the passionate demand of his tongue. Everything around them melted away, making both of them the only ones in this space and time. Lily felt herself completely let go as Rusty pulled her into a deeper hug. 

His kiss grew deeper, still demanding the moment that seemed to never end. He kissed her in a way that caressed her entire being, creating a rolling sensation in her blood. All the knots in her stomach released, giving her a rise in desire where his skin touched hers, and a craving where it didn't. 

Lily's eyes shot open, her fists fighting against his chest. She pushed him away, then ran as fast as she could up the stairs. 

Rusty stared in her wake, still left in the moment. She had run awayfrom him again. 


	11. Just Beyond the Door

**WARNING: **Just a cautionary note before you begin the reading of my latest chapter, my lovely viewers. For those of you who may be more shy to... sexual endeavors... than others, this warning if for you. This is a sex scene, although not very detailed. I kept it at least PG-13 level, at least compared to some of my other works. I wanted it to be simple and compact to fit in with the chapter. And, if nothing else, to conform to the guidelines reasoned to me by my friend Elijah (although conforming is considered a "bad thing" in most cases). Blame him if you wanted more.

All that said and done, I think some of you will be surprised to see the little twist I added onto the ending. It is horribly cliche, I think, but it suites this chapter and this point in the story very well. I would never mean to torment those romance lovers out there, but... well, you'll see.

"Think On", dear readers.

(a common quote from the novel "The White Darkness" - a good read if you find yourself in need of one. Although, I find myself wanting to slap the characters and yell "SNAP OUT OF IT!" at them... haha...)

Ruby.

**Chapter Eleven**

**Just Beyond the Door **

_He was standing outside her door. How could he not stand outside her door? Every road in his entire life, every goddamn twist and turn, led him to the same spot time and time again. And it was going to keep leading him there, whether he wanted it to or not. He was always going to be standing outside her door. Always. With her, just on the other side. Just out of his reach. _

_Rusty ran a shaking hand through his hair until it stood on end. Well, more so than usual. _

_Lily was standing just on the other side of the door. She had been, at least, for the last half hour. He knew. He could see the shadow she cast beneath the door. He could see her blurred image through the other end of the peep hole. But mostly, he could feel her._

_Rusty balled his hands into fists, throwing them against the door. His head followed, his forehead resting against the sturdy wood. He would have given up a long time if he could have, but he couldn't. So he didn't._

"_Lily, please come out," he whispered softly, his throat hurting from all the pleading he had been doing. Yes, she was on the other side of the door. He could feel the electricity flowing between their two bodies. He could smell her, the scent of her cocoa butter lotion she applied religiously. He could taste her, the sweet nectar from the chocolate covered strawberries she craved after he made love to her. He knew her thoughts, his own tows going numb as hers did after an explosive orgasm. Or multiple orgasms. Which ever came first. He could hear her, her heart beating as he nuzzled his face against her chest. He could feel her, her lips brushing gently against his stomach as she traveled to meet his needs. _

_But he couldn't see her._

"_Lily, please. Lily! I need to talk to you…"_

_He paused, there was silence. No movement. Nothing._

"_Lily," he sobbed, "Lily, I'm begging you. I just want to ta…" _

_The door was yanked open, and Rusty stumbled forward into her apartment. He steadied himself, straightening the best he could. "Thank you," he sighed, watching her as she took a step away from him. She was measuring him, a scowl on her face. She tightly twisted her arms around one another against her chest, closing her walls. "All I wanted to say was…" _

"_Shut up!" she yelled at him, dropping her arms to her sides. _

_Rusty stared, slightly annoyed that she wouldn't let him finish his sentences. It all disappeared when he finally noticed what she was wearing. Nothing but a t-shirt. His t-shirt. The t-shirt he had given her at the lake, after he had pushed her in and soaked her from head to toe._

"_Shut up, Rusty. Just shut the hell up!" she said again, clenching her jaw. _

"_What do you want me to say, Lily? Tell me, because I'll say it," he pleaded. He dropped to his knees, reaching his arms out to her legs. _

_She backed away. "I don't want to talk to you, Rusty. And for God's sake, stop acting like a little bitch. We both know that that isn't you." _

_She was right. Why was he acting the way he was? Why was he refusing to be refused? Why was he so desperate to get back into her good graces? _

_He rose to his feet, his head bent in shame. A false shame. A shame that he had never felt before. "Then what do you want, Lily."_

_She glared at him, and intense fire burning in her eyes. "What do I want? Do you really want to know?" _

"_Yes, Lily. I really want to know," he repeated. _

"_I want to fuck you stupid," she spoke bluntly, lifting the t-shirt over her head. Underneath, nothing at all. _

_She approached him, the glare in her eyes paralyzing him. Her naked body pressed up against him, her arms reaching around and closed the door directly behind him. Then, she pounced. _

_She grabbed him by the tie, pulling him deeper into the apartment. "So where do you want this to happen?" she asked, releasing him just as he was running out of breath. "Kitchen? Bedroom? Bathroom? Balcony?"_

_He stared blankly, his mind unable to grasp what was going on. _

_It didn't matter. She didn't wait for him to answer. He was pretty sure he couldn't, anyway. His body was running on autopilot, along with his brain._

_She loosened his tie, proceeding to remove his shirt with her teeth. Rusty finally found his words. "Lily, just help me understand." _

"_Understand what?" She yelled back, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. _

"_I'm not joking, Lily." Why did he keep using her name? Why did it roll off his tongue so easily? _

"_You think I'm joking? Seriously?" Lily yelled, rushing to put the t-shirt back on. "This is pointless. Point. Less."_

"_Just talk to me, Lily!" His shirt was still hanging open, and he had no intention of buttoning it back up. _

"_I don't want to talk to you! The last thing I want to do is talk!" _

"_Well, why the fuck not!" He screamed. He had never really screamed at her before, and he instantly regretted doing so. _

"_I can't," she growled back, her hands balled into fists at her sides. If she didn't keep them there, she was going to start throwing things. _

"_Tell me the real reason, Lily. Tell me or, so help me, I will never talk to you again. Is that what you want? For me to completely walk out of your life? Because I've had it, Lily. I've had it up to here," he finished by raising his palm up to his eyebrows. _

_Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Her fists released, her jaw unclenching, her posture softening. "It's because I still love you, Rusty. I love you, and if I end up talking to you I'll say things that I never wanted to say to you again. Why don't I want to talk to you?" she repeated to question for her own clarification. She was sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't understand a word she was saying herself, but she hoped he was listening. "I don't want to talk to you because I don't want you to rip my heart out of my chest again." _

_Lily instantly thought how words - seemingly tiny words - could become so powerful when put in the right combination. The words were spoken. The ball was in his court. _

_Rusty approached her, the anger in his eyes illuminated with intensity. He continued until he was towering over her. He tightly grabbed her shoulders, almost as if he was going to hit her. He didn't. Instead, he just loomed. "Do you hate me?" Lily asked in the smallest voice she could muster. _

_Rusty had never seen her so incredibly vulnerable. He had never had the upper hand over her in a fight, and he didn't necessarily like it. No, he didn't hit her. He moved his hands to her hips, hoisting her into the air until she was able to wrap her legs around his waist. He kissed her, making her stomach do twists and turns in shear ecstasy. He spoke the words "I love you" against her lips. _

_She gave into him, contorting her body around his as he manipulated her. Rusty set her back down onto the ground, quickly removing his t-shirt from her naked body. He then placed one arm around her lower back, picking her up with his other arm under her knees. She directed him to the bedroom. _

_He intricately placed kisses around the nape of her neck as he laid her on the bed, applying his full body weight onto hers. Lily finished what she started, yanking his tie over his head and pulling off his shirt. _

_Moving his lips from her neck to her torso, he cupped her breast in his hand as he slowly traced the tip of her nipple with his tongue. She struggled with his belt, watching him back away and unzipping his pants. _

_He undressed the rest by himself, almost putting on a show for her. Then, he stepped between her legs and resumed his position on top of her, their tongues finding each other. He sank into her, hard. "You okay?" he whispered, his breathing starting to come in more rapid spurts. _

_Lily didn't reply. She clung to him, her nails almost digging into his back as he moved. If she remembered correctly, he was better at being a power bottom. _

_And she was right. _

_He moved with an urgent, grinding beat. Her fingers traced his hairline to his shoulders, where she pushed for leverage. Touching his bare flesh, she arched her back and writhed closer to him, his mouth moving to her ear. Every muscle in her body locked with tension as she felt his hands encompass her buttocks, pulling her pelvis towards his pumping hips. _

_Lily lifted herself, Rusty refusing to let her go. She straddled his member, helping him with his rhythmic beat as an orgasm was just in sight. She moved so he sank a little deeper each time, feeling her heart beat start to pulsate in time with his. _

_Rusty reached for her hand, forcing her mouth to mold back onto his. She screamed into his mouth as the rolls of sensation released the pressure on her muscles, feeling herself tightening around him as he pulled out and plunged one last time. They reached sexual climax at the same time, their bodies going limp around each other, even panting in sync_.

Rusty jutted forwards in his bed, suddenly very aware that he was alone. The room was so dark he could barely see, but he knew he was alone. He had to be. After all, it was only a dream.

A dream that left him breathless, his lungs desperately trying to catch up with his pumping heart. A dream that had made him ejaculate unknowingly. A dream that had made him undress in his sleep. A satisfying dream. A dream that made him smile.

But only a dream, nonetheless.


	12. The Code

**Chapter Twelve**

**The Code**

"You do know the drill, right?" Ella asked the question more to Linus than Rusty. Ella Van de Kamp didn't know either me. Well, she knew them… but she didn't know them. She wasn't in love with Rusty Ryan. In fact, Rusty Ryan wasn't even her type. Linus was more of Ella's type. Awkward, inexperienced… someone she could twist and mold and manipulate…

Rusty Ryan who?

Linus nodded enthusiastically while Rusty rolled his eyes. Had she really just asked him that question? Yes, he knew what he was doing! He had been doing it for years! Years before her, even… and she had the tenacity to ask him if he knew the drill. Humph.

"Good," she sighed, adjusting her completely-too-short-skirt. "I'll be right back, then."

Lily, aka Ella, walked into Mr. Hollings office after giving a slight rap on the door with her knuckles. Hollings was sitting at his desk, his pen furiously rushing across a stack of papers in front of him. The squat man slouched in his chair, his round face covered by thick-rimmed glasses. "Mr. Hollings, your two o'clock appointment is here," Lily announced as she approached his deck.

Hollings looked up, looking only half aware of what was going on. "Excuse me?" he asked, frustration in his voice.

"Your two o'clock appointment, sir. With…. a Mr. Henry Jameson and his associate Geoffrey Lime," Lily recited one more time. He continued to look at her dumbfounded, so she consulted the fake date book she had been cradling in her arms. "They're from the Big Business Security Corporation."

"I don't have a two o'clock," he growled, checking his agenda.

"It's in the computer, sir. Maybe a secretarial mistake?"

"Who makes my agendas?" It was more of a command for then answer than an actual question.

"That would be Mary, sir."

"Mary who?"

"Fitzgerald."

Hollings leaned back in his chair, a hand stretching up to his chin. "Ah, yes. Fitzgerald. Wouldn't be the first mistake I've encountered from Mary." Lily smiled to herself on the inside. Yes, it was the first mistake he had come across from Mary Fitzgerald. She didn't exist. "Lauren…"

"Ella, sir."

"Right, Ella. Get me the pink papers for Mary Fitzgerald. I won't tolerate anymore mistakes from one of my assistants."

"Yes, sir. And what should I do about Mr. Jameson and Mr. Lime?"

"Tell them I'm far to busy."

"Yes, sir." Shit!

Lily turned to walk back out, walking quite a length to the door.

"Ella?"

Lily pivoted. "Yes, Mr. Hollings?"

"You say they're from the…"

"Big Business Security Corporation."

"Do they know where they are?" Hollings leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. "My security system can't be beat."

"Right, sir."

"Better yet, throw them out. It's an insult towards me that they even think they can offer me something better."

"Yes, Mr. Hollings." Double shit!

Lily turned towards the door again, her stride increasing as she tried to come up with a reason to get Linus and Rusty in the office.

"Ella?"

She pivoted once more. "Mr. Hollings?"

"Come to think of it, with all the modern advances in technology these days… it couldn't hurt to hear them out, right?"

"It couldn't hurt at all, sir."

"Right. Send them in."

"Yes, sir." Crisis averted.

Her pace towards the door quickened even more, almost breaking out into a run with her heels. She just wanted to get out before he changed his mind again.

"Ella?"

Now it was just getting annoying.

"Yes… Mr. Hollings."

"Don't forget those pink papers for Mary. And…come back in. Bring a pen and some paper to take notes on what these guys have to say. If they do have something interesting enough to invest in, I want to make sure I can get it at the best price."

"Right."

Her hand was on the handle. She hesitated, thinking that he was going to call her back again. When he didn't, she exited the room. Rusty and Linus were seated on the other side. Linus was sitting on her chair, forcing his upper lip to twitch as he watched the fake mustache placed there precariously teeter with the movement. Rusty sat on the corner of her desk, the long wig he was wearing falling down onto his shoulders. He took a lock between his fingers and started twisting it between his digits. He wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses identical to Holling's, making his eyes appear bigger and wider than normal.

"Give me a second," she gasped, falling against the door.

Rusty stood, holding a hand out to her. "Are you okay, Lily?"

"My heart's just racing a little fast, is all. And my name is Ella!"

He walked closer to her, so no one but the two of them could hear. "Your name is Lily. I'm Rusty, and you're Lily. Stop trying to run away from me," he whispered, trying to coax her out from her fantasy of Ella Van de Kamp.

"Mr. Hollings will see you now, gentlemen," she replied, ignoring him. She had decided that, after the other night, that was the best course of action to take. A childish, selfish action, but the right action. For now.

The two men in their disguises followed her back into the office. Rusty noticed the wide expanse of the room, a large round table at one end and an ostentatious oak desk at the other. A practice putting green took up a strip in the middle of the room, but Rusty thought it as too cliché to be relevant to be a portal into the banker's personality. As he continued to follow Lily… or Ella, rather… through the office, Rusty noticed three plasma screened television sets hanging on the wall. One portrayed the dealings of the New York Sock Exchange. The other two showed sports scores.

The man likes money and gambling. Two things Rusty could relate to.

Across the room, opposite the television sets, was a wall of windows that peered out over New York's Financial District. Then he saw it. The vault. The arch-like metal door behind his desk, half hidden with a bookcase as to hide it but also to welcome all challengers.

The man also likes nice views and positions of power. Two more things Rusty could relate to.

He followed Lily until she broke away from them and walked to the other side of Hollings' desk, where she stood astute with a notebook rested against her forearm.

Rusty looked to Linus, and decided that he better take the lead. He stretched his hand out across the desk, smiling as warmly as he could. "Mr. Hollings, I presume? My name is Henry Jameson, and this is my partner Geoffrey Lime. The word on the street is that you have the strictest security system in all of New York."

Hollings laughed to himself, then slowly indicated for the men to take a seat. "That would be correct, gentlemen. In recognizing so, I would wonder what it is exactly that _you_ think you have to offer _me_…" He wasn't looking at the two men in front of him, however, he was staring at Ella's long legs in her too-short skirt. Lily's legs. Legs that Rusty had dreamt about. Legs that Rusty had loved….

"Only the best, Mr. Hollings," Linus interjected, preferring to remain in an alerted stance instead of Rusty's casual one. "Upgrades in today's market…"

"Which market would that be?" Hollings interrupted, looking to Ella to make sure she was catching every word. Every very unimportant word. Really, she was just doodling on her notepad. What would Rusty look with some devil horns and a pointy, little beard?

Linus was a t a loss for words. He had practiced his speech in the mirror over and over again - even several times in front of Lily - but nothing had prepared him for an interruption. That's what Rusty was for. Although, there was just something about the way that Hollings was staring at Lily like a piece of meat that brought about something in him… Certain emotions bubbled past reason, and Rusty's mouth took actions of its own. "Mr. Hollings, I'm sure you're a busy man. I'm going to put this plain and simple for you. You're security system is a fucking piece of shit."

Hollings seemed taken aback, as did Lily. While Hollings started to laugh heavily, thinking Rusty was making some sort of joke, Lily scowled fiercely at him.

"Is that what you think? Let me tell you something, I would wager you anything…"

"How much would you wager me, Mr. Hollings? Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is. Show me the damn system at its best, and we can start with that vault right behind you. I've seen the plans to the vault, Mr. Hollings, and I have also seen some major flaws in your system."

Hollings' smile disappeared from his aging face, his fingernails digging into the armrests of his chair. "How….? Ella, I think it's about time you showed these two men out of my office…"

"Yes, sir," Ella sighed, knowing well that they had not yet gotten the code to the vault.

She turned to head to the door, instructing the men to follow her. Linus stood up first, frowning. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Shut up, _Lime_. Stop being such a pussy… the man has a right to know that his system is shit!" Rusty retorted.

Linus threw his hands in the air as Lily turned back to watch with wide eyes. "Oh this is just great… all this time an energy I've put into coming up with names… faces… identities… you're going to throw it all away just to prove a point?"

"Gentlemen…" Hollings grunted, his hand lingering over the red button located on the bottom side of his desk. The button, Lily knew, alerted the authorities.

She rushed to Hollings side. "Sir? What could they be arguing about?"

"What we're arguing about, Baby Doll, is that my so-called partner here is too much of a fruitcake to tell when a good plan is in place!"

"Gentlemen, kindly remove your selves or I'll call the police!"

"Who are you calling a fruitcake, asshole?"

"You, you fuck nugget!" Rusty replied.

Fuck nugget? Lily laughed, but Hollings didn't seem to notice. After her little slip, she saw Hollings hand move towards the button a little more. Luckily, the sedative she had put in his coffee a little earlier was taking effect. His hand shook unsteadily, unable to push the button if he wanted to.

"I've had enough of you!"

"Same here, pal…" Rusty yelled. He was about to push past Linus and head to the door, but Linus pulled his fist back, thrusting his arm forward until it collided with Rusty's eye. Rusty threw himself over the desk, depositing him in Hollings' lap right before he lost consciousness. In his fall, he had managed to kick Lily in the head.

He sprang to his feet as he heard her scream, instantly hunkering down to her side. "Ella? Lily? Are you okay?"

She rubbed the side of her head furiously with the palm of her hand as Linus helped her into the sitting position. Her wig had been knocked off, so she remained seated behind the desk and out of view of any of the security cameras located in the office. "I'm okay. I think." She put her wig back on, and stood. Lily turned to Hollings and pretended to care about his lack of consciousness, while the boys ran out the door.

As Ella returned to her desk when all the havoc was over, she noticed a note on her desk. She read:

Phase Two: complete.

-R.R.


	13. Isabel

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Isabel**

Danny thought about answering the door. It was a serious undertaking, thinking about opening a door to the person knocking on the other side. The way he figured it, it was one of three people.

Rusty, either to say that the job had gone as planned, or it hadn't. Either way, he was instructed to get things done, to get the ball rolling. After he explained what had happened that day, they would continue on to discuss his relationship… with Lily or Isabel, he was never entirely sure of.

Lily, to say that the day had gone successfully and prove herself or to complain about the way things had gone. He had left her out on the little detail that he had told Rusty to do whatever necessary to get the code, and that surely would have upset her…

Tess, to reconnect after several days of being apart. This was the only real occasion he wanted to open the door for. To reconnect.

The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by a voice. "Danny! Open up!"

It was Rusty.

Danny stood close to the door, contemplating whether he should allow his partner to enter or secretly pretend to not be in.

"I can see your feet under the door, Danny. Let me in…"

Danny smiled, taking one more sip of wine from the glass in his hand before actually placing his hand on the handle.

Rusty greeted him, a nod of the head accentuated by the purple crater bulging from his eye. "Got any peas?"

Danny tried to suppress his laughter, never thinking that Linus could hit hard enough to cause such damage. He looked at the swollen socket with great interest, almost seeing the shining bruise pulsate and throb. "What?"

"Peas. Frozen peas? For my eye…"

"I can't say that I do," he responded, managing to push his giggle fit down into his stomach. "No steak either, if you're going for the old methods when ice wasn't so nicely shaped into a small cube."

Rusty glared at him, only one eye open enough to do so. "You're such a fucking comedian, Danny. Really, just a laugh riot."

Danny shrugged as Rusty pushed past him into the room. "I try to keep myself entertained."

He watched Rusty throw himself onto the couch, reaching his arms up on the back of the couch and putting a foot on the coffee table. "So… tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Danny confirmed, pouring Rusty a glass of the hardest, rawest alcohol he had at his disposal. Rusty quickly gulped down the liquid, holding the glass of ice to his eye.

"I hated this plan," he sighed.

"Didn't go as well as you hoped?" Danny walked over to the television, flicking it off with the remote. He figured the conversation was going to take a little longer than he would have liked, but Oprah was on TiVo.

"I kicked Lily in the head," he grunted, rolling onto his side.

"You what?"

"Lily was standing by the desk, and Linus slugged me hard enough to knock me over the desktop. Therefore…."

"You kicked my daughter in the head?" he asked one more time.

"… I kicked her in the head. What does the love guru have to say about that? Hmm? Is it a sign from the heavens?" he kidded, meanly. "_Your foot will make contact with the face that you are meant to be with!_"

Danny shook his head, choking on the sip of wine he had taken to prevent himself to laugh. It didn't work. "We'll have to plan this down to the 'T'. I want you to lock down a timeframe before you hit the hay."

"How am I supposed to know when he's gunna…"

"Lily."

Rusty sighed. "I thought you'd say that."

"What? You can't work with Lily anymore? Did you purposely kick her in the head or something?"

Rusty threw his head back, staring up at the ceiling in disgust. "No, it's not that…"

Danny paused, his smile slowly disappearing across his face. "You didn't!"

Rusty weakly shook his head. "No, but I dreamt we did."

"Ick!" Danny spat. "Do you really think I want to hear about what you and my daughter _do_ in your dreams? First you kick her in the head and…. _ICK_!"

"You asked."

There was another knock on the door. A knock that Danny jumped to answer. The list of people it could be was narrowing down, and he was that much closer to Tess walking back into his life.

It was Lily.

She waved to him, a bright smile on her face. It was not a happy smile, however. It was more of a let's-get-down-to-business smile. "You and I have some things to discuss, mister."

"Like?"

"Like, how you completely forgot to mention the drama that was _supposed_ to occur today. For a second, I was convinced that Rusty was actually calling Linus a fuck nugget. I have to admit that it was pretty funny, but I'm not really sure what a fuck nugget is and…" She pushed past him and walked into the living room. She spotted Rusty instantly, who took some time to notice her presence. She froze. She wanted to turn and run, but Danny was standing in front of the door. "Rusty."

He jolted up, twisting his neck in a painful fashion as he whipped in her direction. "Lily."

She saw his eye, the oozing orifice that screamed in its own agony upon sight. "Oh. My. God," she gasped, rushing to his side. Lily threw herself into the couch cushions beside him, her hands encompassing his face. "Does that hurt as bad as it looks?" she asked, giving his injury a once over.

Rusty winced, trying to wrench his head away from her grasp because to feeling to lean into her hands was too overwhelming. "It looks nastier than it feels."

Lily looked to her father, all three of them submerged into the room. "Do you have any peas? Frozen ones?"

Danny rolled his eyes, the child inside of him rejoicing at the sight of Rusty and Lily together and interacting. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"There's something in frozen peas that helps the swelling…" Lily explained, carefully rubbing her thumb over his eye.

"Who says?"

"Television," Lily and Rusty answered in sync.

Lily relaxed, her arms returning to her sides. She smiled at him. "I have some upstairs. Come with me."

Rusty hesitated, then moved to get up from his seat. Lily latched onto his arm, pulling him towards the door. "I have a black eye," he chided, "I'm not blind."

Her hands clenched into fists. "Sorry."

They silently made their way down the hall, towards the elevator that led up to her top-floor apartment. Inside, she sat him at the island counter in the kitchen and produced a bag of frozen peas from her freezer. Delicately, she applied the peas to his face. He accepted them from her almost too readily, causing her to back up and sit on the other side of the island.

"So… how's your head?"

"What?"

"Your head… from the… yeah…"

Lily nodded. "Oh, I'm fine."

"Sorry about that, by the way," he mumbled.

Lily nodded again. "Seriously, Rusty, I'm fine. Forget it. It's not like you kicked me in the head on purpose. You may have _wanted_ to, but…"

Rusty grunted as he pressed the peas harder into his eye. "I would never want to hurt you, Lily," he replied after a period of silence. He meant it in both meanings. Physically and emotionally.

She paused herself, taking time to figure her answer. "But you did." She meant it in both meanings. Physically and emotionally. Past and present.

He ignored her response, looking in a different direction. Anywhere but directly at her. "Tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow night," Lily confirmed, her small voice shrinking even further. "He already texted me his plans so I can schedule things and conform him to a trip him and the wife are planning on taking."

"A guy that sleazy has a wife?"

"Twenty-or-something actress who likes the feel of diamonds around her neck and wrists," Lily shrugged. "Being married for strictly material purposes is popular these days. Besides, it beats being poor any day."

Rusty frowned. "You would rather be trapped in a loveless marriage than have a shitty apartment and food stamps?"

Lily's smile returned, a coy smile. "No, but that's why I do what I do. The same as you?"

He couldn't help but smile back at her. He had yet to tell her about the crumbling hotel he currently owned as was residing in. "Yeah, the same as me." In saying those words, Rusty remembered Jenna White from the plane, and instantly felt sorry for her. It was amusing to see her failing at things that he had mastered in his years of life, but it was sad to think that she had no real future. She, undoubtedly, was headed down the same track as the supposed Mrs. Hollings.

"You've done good for yourself, Lily," Rusty commented.

She bowed her head. "You've haven't done too bad yourself, Rusty." She said it without really knowing.

It felt good to her, to be sitting and carrying a conversation with her ex-lover that still held much of her attention. A good conversation. One where they weren't fighting, screaming, or chasing each other in some sort of rage. It felt good to get along again. It had taken them so long…

Her hand was in the middle of the island, within his reach. He reached out to touch her, to cover her hand with his, but she withdrew.

Lily stood, walking over to him. She hovered over him sitting on his stool, peeling the defrosting package of peas from his eye. "The swellings going down already," she noticed, her steely blue eyes melting into a cool grey.

"You make a great doctor," he joked. He didn't give her time to hesitate or fall away from him. He wrapped his arm around the small of her back. She allowed him, leaning her stomach into his chest as her upper body towered over his seated position.

Her smile widened. "I forgive you for kicking me in the head."

Rusty laughed out loud, sorry he could only see her out of one eye. "Technically, that was Linus's fault."

She bent forward, kissing his eyebrow above his broken eyeball. Rusty's hand slid lower, the muscles in her bottom tightening at his familiar touch. "You're a horrible person, Rusty Ryan. Taking advantage of a poor, innocent girl like myself."

"Ah, but you love it."

"I love you. I always have."

Rusty couldn't respond. His brain couldn't, at least. He stood, his body moving without thought. His mouth encompassed hers, his arms lifting her from the floor as he passionately rejoiced that he had heard the words he so desperately wanted to hear from her. I love you. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, teasing hers and coaxing it from behind her lips.

She pulled her head away, her fingers entangled in his hair. Pausing, teasing him in a way that she knew drove him crazy, her teeth tugged on his lower lip. He set her back down on the ground, leaning in to kiss her again. She leaned away, flirtingly fleeing from his grasp. His hand encompassed her face, her jaw in his palms as the pads of his thumbs stroked the soft spot on her cheeks. "Stop running from me," he instructed, commanding her to accept him.

She didn't need to be told twice.

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could, there was a knock on the door.

Rusty and Lily instinctively stepped away from each other, like two teenagers being caught on the front porch. "Damn it, Dad," Lily grunted as she reached for the handle. "What the hell do you want…?" she questioned as she wrenched the door open. Her jaw fell. "Oh… um, Rusty?"

Rusty walked to the door, ready to put his arms around Lily from behind. She stepped away from him, shaking her head as her gaze moved to the portal. He turned.

"Hello, Robert."

"Ugh… Hi, Izzy," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

Danny and Tess stood in the hallway behind Isabel, Isadora in her father's arms. Tess frowned towards Lily, knowing her husband's daughter well enough to know that they had interrupted something. Something ground-breaking.

Lily collected herself. She stuck her hand out to Isabel as a sign of goodwill, although she really saw none. "Nice to meet you, Isabel. My name is Lily."

Isabel politely grinned. "You were the woman that I talked to?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Lily felt Rusty's regretful gaze on her. She could not vocally answer, but nodded instead.


	14. Execution: Part One

**Chapter Twelve**

**Part One**

**Execution**

Rusty took his time closing the door to his room, Isabel walking in before him. He lingered in the doorway, looking back towards the elevator with a long stare. He sighed heavily. It was going to be a long night, and he had a job the next day. Damn.

Damn Lily for calling Isabel.

Damn Isabel for her horrible, horrible timing.

Damn Danny for starting all this.

Damn.

Isabel made herself at home, smiling broadly at him. "Did I interrupt something?"

Rusty ran a hand over his face. "No," he muttered through his fingers. "No, you didn't." He was almost as good a liar as Lily was. Almost.

Her smile disappeared. She had missed him. She had hated him for making her miss him, but she had. There was no denying that seeing him now, in his element with all his strategic brilliance, brought out certain emotions in her that she rather would not have felt towards one Robert "Rusty" Ryan.

"You didn't know I was coming?" Isabel asked, puzzled why he wasn't as excited to reunite as she was, although she was hiding it fairly well. He had been the one to call her nonstop. He had been the one to beg her to come back. And now he wouldn't stand within four feet of her.

"No, I knew." Rusty decided that if he kept his answers short and to a minimum, then he could buy himself some time to think of what he wanted to do.

He loved Lily, he knew that.

But he also doubted it.

He trusted Lily. Fully trusted her. Even if she had lied to him in the past, it was really her just trying to protect him. He knew that much. But the question was, did he trust her too much? Had she told him one more protective half-truth than he was aware of?

She had said that Rusty was really in love with Isabel. Was he? He was still unsure. If he did, he certainly didn't love her in the same way he loved Lily. The way he loved Lily… he could never love anyone the way he loved Lily.

The room started spinning, and Rusty took the opportunity to take a seat. Isabel stood, seeing his distress. She approached him, making the first move. She reached out to touch his eye, now a deeper purple but less protruding. "What happened to you?" She reached out to him, but he dodged her touch.

"Nothing. Really, Isabel, I'm fine." He grunted, swerving away from her.

Isabel stopped, stepping backwards. "You never call me Isabel anymore."

Rusty realized that treating the problem like it didn't exist wasn't going to make the whole thing disappear. He took Isabel's hands in his, pulling her into a friendly hug. "I missed you, Izzy." Missed. Past tense. Used to miss. But there was something. A tingly feeling. "The thing is," he explained over her shoulder, "you did interrupt something. See, we're in the middle of planning a job which is going to be executed tomorrow night and…"

Isabel shrugged away from him. "I get it. It's okay. I just thought that… what with what happened and all…"

Rusty placed his hands on his hips. "What did happen, Isa… Izzy." He would have to be more careful with what he said.

"I was mad. You were always away on some job, selling yourself and your 'services' out to the highest bidder just to make a quick buck. It seemed like our time together was costing you," Isabel frowned, sinking back down onto the couch.

Isabel had always been something of a rebel, a firecracker. She was usually lively, even when emotionally inferior. It was a personality trait that Rusty admired about her to no end. She could be yelling at him, screaming until her face turned purple, and then be smiling ten minutes later.

Now, however, when he looked at her sitting on the couch, her hands folded in her lap and her eyes directed towards her knees, he felt like the person sitting in front of him was a complete stranger. Sure, they had shared a home, a bed, but Rusty had never knew that she was capable of looking so vulnerable. He knew how she liked her coffee and that she hated it when he was out too late or out for long periods of time without calling, but he never saw her retreat so far within herself.

That was a lie. He had seen it every time he came home from a job and would rather sleep than make love to her. He had seen it every time he had picked a fight over nothing, just to get her to leave him alone for a while.

And then he realized.

He felt a fondness towards Isabel. She was a prize, a trophy at the end of a grueling chase game. He had won the prize, and nothing else. He could know all the small details of her life, but if he couldn't recognize the emotion of complete devastation on her face then he couldn't have possibly loved her.

True, he had missed her. But he hadn't missed her, he missed her company. He missed that there was someone out there that was missing him. He missed having someone that made him feel like he belonged in the world. He missed having someone pick up the pieces when he was too tired, or too frustrated to even concentrate. He was so used to doing it for everyone else, he missed that there was someone willing to be a "Rusty Ryan" type towards him for a while.

And all that fondness, that affection, went away when he figured out that Lily was the one he wanted to miss him. She was the one he wanted to go home with, not to. She was the one that he wanted to help him. Not just fix his problems, but really help him.

He cared for Isabel. He really did. Just… not as much as she cared for him. It wasn't fair to her, and he had figured that out subconsciously. That was why he had stopped calling. That was why he was so emotionally crippled when Danny used the words "settle down". That was why his blood started pumping when he tasted or even smelled a strawberry.

"I'm so sorry, Izzy," he sighed.

She smiled, reaching her hands out towards him. He let her take his hands, leading him towards her on the couch. She held his hands, staring into his eyes. "Thank you, Rusty," she accepted. She had misunderstood his apology, though, thinking that everything was on the mend.

Rusty, not knowing what to say or do, did not correct her. Instead, stating that on the pretense that he was not comfortable with himself in the situation yet, Rusty offered Isabel the bed while he slept on the couch.

- - - - - -

The sky opened up mercilessly later in the evening the day of the job. Lily stood in the lobby to her building, marveling at the downpour spilling out onto the New York streets. The brownstone which had been converted into a three-floor apartment building seemed to cower under the heavy drops.

Linus stepped up behind her, his approach able to be recognized by his openmouthed gum-chewing habits. "Hey," he uttered, marveling at the sight of the weather.

"Hi, kid," Lily responded, feeling only slightly embarrassed in his presence. She had kept her distance after their last encounter, thinking she had made a bad impression. "Ready?" she asked, trying to keep their conversation simple and to the point. She was prepared - as prepared mentally and physically as she was going to be - and wanted to keep her frame of mind the same way. "Did you get the tape made for me?"

Linus reached into his pocket, pulling out a digital tape recorder. "Not exactly. I took the sound recordings from the tape recorder you had before and digitally stitched together the dialogue to get Hollings to sound like he's saying the code for his vault. He didn't change the code yet, right?"

Lily stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Found it in his jacket this morning while he was busy practicing his putting stance. The code doesn't get changed until nine tomorrow morning."

The elevator bell rang behind her, and Lily knew that it was her father standing behind her before he spoke. "Everything okay at the bank today?" he asked, throwing his arm around her.

Lily watched as the rain, dark clouds rolling farther over head. The storm was going to last for a while. "Fine. Business as usual," she responded.

"Except?"

Lily watched Linus turn and walk away, sensing a father-daughter conversation coming on. "Except…" she hesitated, not wanted to upset her father. "Except… Hollings was really jumpy today. I mean, I know Rusty and Linus were supposed to get the operation rolling… God knows Hollings was getting a little too comfortable on his duff. So much so I never thought he would be going on 'vacation' …."

"Lily," he interrupted.

"Sorry, rambling."

"So, what's wrong?"

Lily paused. "I just don't have a good feeling."

Danny grimaced, hugging his daughter. He liked to keep some solace in Lily's intuition, but there was 300 million dollars involved.

And then there was the fact that it was his last job… or so he promised Tess. He was planning - hoping, more like it - to keep his promise for a while, and his share of the 300 million was going to take care of everything they needed.

"But otherwise, everything's okay?"

"Except for this damn rain, yeah."

"And…. Rusty?"

Lily stepped away from her father, glaring at him as she crossed her arms in front of her. "I haven't talked to him since Isabel came to visit. Let's not talk about that now."

Danny noticed her tone, but chose to ignore it. "Remember, Lily, you called her. Not Rusty…"

"Danny!" Tess scolded, Isadora bouncing in her arms. Danny held his hands in the air, then curled them around his youngest daughter as Isadora was shoved into his arms.

Lily closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief as Tess linked arms with her. "Thank you," she whispered to her father's wife.

"That's what I'm here for, doll," Tess laughed, watching her husband's distress as Isadora kicked. "He just wants you to be happy, you know?"

"Yeah, but he's only making me more miserable."

"As most fathers do," Tess smiled. "Are you okay, though? I saw your face when Isabel…"

Lily, serious about not wanting to talk about it, did her best to lie. "I'm fine."

Turk and Virgil, always seeming to be there at the right time, pulled up the van in front of the building and honked twice. Danny handed Isadora back to Tess, nodding towards his oldest daughter. "Ready, Lil?"

She managed a smile, curling her fingers over the digital recorder Linus had handed her. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but just then was not the right time. "Ready, Dad."


	15. Execution: Part Two

**Chapter Twelve**

**Part Two**

**Execution **

"Give me two minutes," Lily instructed, looking to the men in the back of the van with her. Danny, Yen, Linus, Livingston, Virgil and Turk in the front seats, and Rusty.

She had had the pleasure of sitting next to him all the way to the bank, his hand drumming against the seat next to her thigh. She couldn't take her hands off her lap, mostly because she couldn't help but want him to move his fingers against her skin. That's all she needed, just a simple brushing of his knuckles against the outside of her thigh to confirm that all that had happened the other night had not gone to waste.

When the van pulled into the back parking lot, however, he had not even looked at her. Not a single word to her.

She leaned back against the seat as she squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath as she felt her heart start to race. This was the biggest operation she had ever pulled, and she was getting a flash of stage fright.

Danny wrenched his neck around to look back at her. "You okay, Lil? It's a little late to be…"

"Fine, Daddy."

It concerned Danny that Lily had called him "daddy". "Lily, I want you to know that…"

Lily's eyes shot open. "Virgil, Turk, you're up."

Virgil and Turk, who had been silently bickering in the front seat, took two hats out from their respective sides of the van and fastened them on their heads. Lily spotted the logo on the front of the hats, their jumpsuits matching the khaki color. "Security System Monitors? Who would fall for…"

But before she could finish her sentence, Virgil and Turk were obnoxiously knocking on the class doors next to the security station. Two guards sat at the oval desk, feet up. Virgil picked a fight with Turk - although it wasn't necessarily acting - and the two guards stirred from their lounging positions. Alerted, one walked over towards the door as the screaming commenced, Lily's smile growing wider as she fought back the urge to laugh.

Her stage fright was turning into a giggle-fit.

She managed to suppress it.

Turk pushed Virgil, yelling about nothing really. One of the guards opened the door, as the other stood by. Rusty slipped out of the van from beside Lily, gently rolling a grenade full of knockout gas towards the bickering brothers and the guards. Turk pulled out his handkerchief first, covering his mouth as he watched his brother do the same. Smoke clouded all four of them for a moment, the 'thudding' sounds of the two guards dropping to the ground. Moments later, the smoke cleared. Virgil was the only one standing, looking down at his passed out brother at his feet.

Lily slid from her seat, Danny and Linus at her sides. "What happened?" Danny asked, not to concerned.

"Guess he didn't hold it over his mouth and nose tight enough," Virgil inspected, kicking his brother in the side.

Lily looked to Linus. "I didn't hear him fall…"

"Look at him, he's practically a midget. He's close to the ground already," Virgil laughed.

Lily, Danny, and Rusty simultaneously rolled their eyes.

Danny turned to Lily as Rusty instructed Linus to help him tie up the guards. "You're up, Lil. You got this?"

"Piece of cake," Lily nodded, giving him the thumbs-up.

Livingston, clutching his laptop to his chest as he sweat profusely, walked forward and held the door open for everyone. Lily reached out and gave him a reassuring touch on the shoulder.

Lily took the lead as they quickly walked past the security and down the wide hall towards the main lobby. Lily could see the lasers in her sights, and she eagerly welcomed the challenged as her heart began pounding again.

Rusty watched her intensely, almost sure that she was going to jump right in between the lasers. "Lily!" He reached forward and grabbed her, wrenching her around backwards and into his chest.

She had stopped short before the first laser, and when Rusty had pulled her away she had lost her balance. Hitting his chest with her fists, she knocked herself backwards. Falling, Rusty stabled himself and caught her as the end of her braid seconds away from ruining the entire job. She let him help her back upright, then pushed him away as hard as she could. "What the fuck?"

"Sorry, I thought that…"

"Well, don't think next time," Lily barked. She instantly regretted it, never wanting to fight with him again after the other night.

Danny recognized her inner distress, pulling Rusty away from her. "Do your thing, Lil."

Lily nodded, a frown set on her face. She stepped up to where she had left off, just before the first laser. Pulling a pin from her pocket, she wound her braid around the back of her head to keep her hair from ruining everything. She would not lose her concentration. She would keep her mind set on the task at hand. She could see the security alarm set in a small white box on the wall, and she kept her eye on the target.

Watching the first few lasers sweep in front of her, Lily lifted her legs up and stepped into the field.

One by one, inch by inch, she made her way through the first six. The first six, as she had observed in the replication Livingston had created for her, were position close enough to each other that no radical or sporadic movements were necessary. Delicately, she ducked her head as the sixth laser passed by her ear and she stepped into the rest of the field.

A quick lunge forward followed by a handspring backwards. Lily took the fastest nanosecond to position herself correctly as she dove through several lasers in the middle. She tumbled onto the ground, rolling away from those lasers behind her. She had to stop herself, throwing her entire body onto the floor as she struggled to catch her breath. She had miscalculated, a huge error of a mistake on her part. Around laser number sixteen - she could only imagine - she had pushed herself too far forward and had inadvertently gotten herself a little too close to a green beam of light.

She stiffened, waiting as the laser passed just over the top of her head. She closed her eyes - squeezing them shut hard - as she prayed that it would pass over it. Seconds later, she peeked at her situation and was in the clear. Springing to her feet, she dashed through the next set of lasers. Planting her hands firmly on the floor, Lily raised her feet above her head and guided her legs through the last sets of lasers until her entire body was on the opposite side.

Folding herself in half, Lily rested her hands on her knees as she realized she had been holding her breath the entire time.

Shaking her head to get back her focus, she headed over to the alarm on the wall. She inspected the blank white box for merely a second, taking a small screwdriver from the belt at her waist. Before touching anything, she also took out a black box from her pocket and pulled a wire from the top. The screen on her device read that it was ready to perform its specific task: imputing the correct code into the alarm system to shut off the lasers. With a steady hand, Lily slowly pried open the face of the alarm system's box and inserted the other end of her device's wire into the circuit board on the inside. Twenty-five grueling seconds later, the screen on the black box turned green as the laser field shut itself down. Why couldn't you have buttons, she chided silently.

Lily, feeling a bead of sweat dripping down the side of her face, pushed herself against the wall and slid down until she was in the sitting position.

Rusty held his hand out to her. "You okay?"

Although all her muscles were violently shaking in an effort to refuse moving on, she accepted his hand and let him lift her to her feet. "I'm fine. Really."

"Lily, I…"

Lily shook her head, seeing her father walking towards them. "Maybe now's not the best time."

"But…"

"I know, Rusty. I know," she comforted, still holding his hand.

"Let's move it, guys," Linus instructed all too eagerly.

Lily laughed at his enthusiasm. Rusty's fingers enlaced in hers, they joined the rest of the group in front of the elevator doors. Linus helped Danny take a crowbar out from the sack he was carrying, together prying the doors open. Lily entered first, Danny giving her a leg up as she pushed open the grate in the elevator's ceiling that allowed her to enter into the elevator shaft.

Without waiting for the rest of the group, Lily searched around in the darkness for the cable to her one of the wire lifts. Livingston - with a slight fear of the darkness - cracked an emergency glow stick and dropped it on top of the elevator. Illuminated in a green light, the rest of them found their respective lifts and attached them to the hooks on their belts.

"How'd you…?" Linus started to ask.

"I got here really early this morning. Inexplicably,the elevators were stuck on the top floor while I was inside," Lily explained with a casual shrug, making sure her lift was fastened properly before tugging on the cord. Before Linus could ask another question, Lily was being propelled upwards into the darkened elevator shaft.

Rusty laughed, looking up after her. "One by one, boys. There's only so much space next to the door… Yen's next. Help Lily open the door, then it's your turn."

Yen nodded, tugging on the cord on his belt. Not before long, they heard the elevator door open above them.

"Ten bucks says he shorts it," Rusty laughed, knowing that someone was going to make a joke out of it sooner or later. Frank, Basher, and Saul were probably back at the brownstone - all crammed around the identical laptop Livingston had supplied so they could watch from a camera somewhere on Livingston's person - were probably making the same joke.

"Twenty," Danny agreed, just to make the joke end. It really was an old joke.

There was a loud crashing sound from above, making all four men jump due to the sound resonating off the walls in the elevator shaft. "Lily! What's going on?" Danny yelled, straining his eyes to look upwards even though he knew he could never see. His yell had had the same effect on sound as before, the men covering their ears from the sheer boom of Danny's voice.

"Everything's fine!" Lily said back, knowing better than to scream.

Everything really was fine. Yen had just gotten a little show-offish. From his wire lift he had crawled onto the wall, his feet narrowly able to hold onto the crown molding of the top of the half-wood paneling on the walls. From there, he had pushed off the wall into a back flip to reach the first divider.

Lily sighed loudly as she watched his thighs slap off the first office divider, falling backwards so he was hanging from his knees. She watched with clenched teeth as he pulled himself onto his feet, teetering precariously on the edge of the divider with nothing to hold onto to. With every flip forward, Lily closed her eyes and squeezed her teeth a little tighter together. She knew Yen could do it, she had seen him practice. She had helped him practice, even. Still, there was still a heavy feeling in her heart that made her stomach ache.

Finally, as Yen clung to the other wall in the same fashion as before, Lily felt a little comfort. Only a little. This alarm system made her feel a little better than before, Lily clearly able to see the keypad from across the room. "Yen, the code is 382624," she instructed, although she clearly knew that he already knew the code. That, too, she had helped him with.

The door swept open with one, fluid motion. Yen reached around the door, feeling around on the wall on the other side for the next alarm system. Once he found it, he signaled to Lily and entered the code before she could get a chance to remind him.

A moment later, a small "ding"-ing sounds filled the air and Lily shimmed herself over to the elevator door. With caution, she took the first step onto the floor.

Nothing.

The silence was bliss. Lily made the time to savor it, then titled her head back down the shaft. "Next," she cried loudly, hearing he rest of them groan for their aching eardrums.

In a minute, Rusty and Linus were at her side. "Almost there," she encouraged, feeling completely wiped. Her adrenaline was still running on high, but it was too much for her body to handle. As Danny and Livingston made their way up the shaft, Lily stumbled towards Hollings office. One wrong move and she rolled her ankle, falling on her side. Rusty were there, holding her up when she realized what had happened. "Thanks," she smiled at him.

"It's what I'm here for."

With those five, small words, Lily had received everything she needed to hear from Rusty. He was going to be there for, to catch her when she fell. He was going to be there for her… For her, and no one else…

She looked up at him, her legs feeling firm again. There was just enough adrenaline pumping through her veins - not enough to send her body into overdrive, but just enough to make her appreciate the thrall - and it was making her heart beat loud enough for everyone to hear. "I might just take you up on that."

Danny, internally praising himself, stepped up to the door to Hollings' office. "Gentlemen - and lady - shall we?" He had noticed the distraction between his daughter and Rusty, and wasn't sure whether to praise it or scold it for horrible timing.

Lily made it a point to be at her father's side. "The hard part is over is almost over," she told him.

"Almost?"

"Well, we still have to get into the vault," she followed up, walking taking the lead as she carefully opened the door to Hollings' office. It creaked, but easily gave way under Lily's hand. She crept into the darkened room, pulling a small pencil-like flashlight from her belt.

The vault was on the opposite side of the room, the widely visible to those truly looking for it. The tall, metallic archway shimmered in the moonlight, the entry pad to its left. A small, metallic box jutted out of the wall eyelevel with Lily. She took the digital recorder Linus had given her . "Let's hope this works, boys," she quietly prayed, pressing a big green button on the entry box and waiting for it to instruct her to press her thumb against the indicated place then verbally input the password. Livingston stepped up next to her, his thumb pressing gently on the keypad.

Lily could hear Danny starting to protest, but Rusty stopped him.

Lily pressed 'play' on the recorder and held her breath. The room went completely silent, except for the distorted recording of Hollings' voice patterns digitally stitched together to say "Holly Anne."

The screen of the entry box blinked for several seconds, deciding whether it bought their fake banker's voice or not, then cleared itself as the locks to the vault released themselves.

Lily closed her eyes, thanking whatever god that would hear her. Danny, however, was not as pleased.

"What the hell was that? Why would it accept Livingston's fingerprint? Do you realize that if…" he loudly expressed as he waved his arms.

Linus opened the door to the vault and led Livingston inside to set up his laptop. Rusty waited in the doorway, watching Danny and his daughter.

Lily reached out her hands to rest them on her father's shoulders. "Dad, calm down. It wasn't Livingston's fingerprint."

"It wasn't?"

"No, it was Hollings'."

"But…"

Rusty intervened, turning to the entry pad and peeling off a clear, oval adhesive from the thumb pad. "It's this stuff Livingston found out about. When Lily went to refill Hollings' coffee cup, she applied some of this stuff to where he had touched it and… instant fingerprint."

"How'd you know it was the thumb?" Danny asked, his hands on his hips as his gaze drifted to the floor.

"He always holds his cup with his thumb pressed against the top," Lily explained, unable to distinguish her father's particular expression from his many others.

Danny just nodded, turning into the vault. Lily, left confused, hurried ahead of him to see if Livingston was ready yet.

Rusty walked with him. "You okay?"

Danny nodded again, letting his hands fall to his sides. "I have to owe it to her… the girl really pulled this off."

"It's not over yet, Danny," Rusty warned, knowing not to jinx himself.

"I know."

Livingston was seated on the floor, eagerly typing away at his keyboard. His laptop was connected to several different wires, each of a different color and different shape. Linus paced the floor next to him, looking almost as nervous as Livingston. Lily just stood silently against a caged wall, her arms folded across her chest as she propped her leg up. Rusty stood next to her, copying her expression. She leaned into his side, her head falling onto her shoulder as she watched.

Danny noticed, finding it hard not to smile to himself. "Well?" Danny asked, all attention on Livingston.

"Um… now, we wait," he choked, his sweaty palms slipping against the keyboard.

Linus stopped pacing. "We wait? You kept saying that time was a factor, but we're going to wait?"

Livingston looked up to Rusty, a nervous expression set across his face. "He hasn't sent the money yet…" he uttered, shaking.

"It's fine. It's good," Rusty tried to soothe. "The money can't be sent to the bank, or else there will be a paper trail. We needed to get here fast, so he couldn't transfer the money before we got here. Once he starts, Livingston can do his thing and reroute the money, but everything is still going according to plan."

Lily reached up to the collar of her shirt, holding a small microphone to her mouth. "We're in, Virgil. How's it going out there?"

Virgil's reply came back quiet and crackled. "Fine. The guards are still out. You know, it's a pretty nice night…"

"Turk?"

Virgil laughed on the other end, but Lily couldn't recognize what he had said.

With no news to report, Lily hunkered down and sat on the floor. Rusty followed her example, and Linus followed his. Danny remained on his feet.

For now, they would wait.


	16. Execution: Part Three

**Chapter Twelve**

**Part Three**

**The Transfer**

They waited. And waited. And waited. It seemed to Danny that the more they waited, the more the chances of them getting caught were. Lily reassured him that some of the jobs she had done in the past had included several days of waiting in one spot. Danny, however, was not that patient. And neither was Rusty.

He was used to quick precision. Smash and grab. In and out in a matter of minutes, not hours.

Lily laughed at him as he twitched uncomfortably, wanting to do something other than sit and wait. "This is killing me," he whispered to her.

She leaned her head in close to him so they could talk without the others hearing. Not that it was a private conversation, but… "A little longer. Hollings is probably just freaking out, is all."

"Yeah, that's all," Rusty mocked. "He freaks out, gets cold feet, and doesn't move the money. Then the guards come to, armed and angry, and we all get five to fifteen for breaking and entering, and probably twenty to life for everything else."

Lily laughed again. "Hollings may be a lot of things, but he is not one to stand by and let his reputation crumble around him. If he doesn't send the money, he's going to get outed by Frank's news contact."

"He doesn't know that."

"No, but he does suspect that there was more to your little visit the other night. Other than his best interest, of course. A couple inches and you would have kicked him in the head."

That finally made Rusty crack a smile. "Sorry about that."

"Already forgotten," Lily brushed off. "Whether I forgot it due to forgiveness or a concussion is a different matter."

Laughter passed through his lips. She was getting to him.

Suddenly, as Rusty tilted his head to look her in the eyes, Lily became very uncomfortable. It might have been from the fact that she had been sitting on the same spot on the floor for about two hours. Or it may have been from the fact that Rusty seemed to be looking right through her soul, instantly reminding her that - although she had gotten the sign that he still felt the same way about her - he was still technically with Isabel.

Even though she broke his gaze, he continued to seer through her with his intense gaze. "Lily?" he questioned, thinking that he may have done something wrong.

"I have to pee," Lily announced loudly, jumping up.

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Now? Couldn't you have gone to the bathroom _before_ we broke into a bank?"

Lily rolled her eyes. It was like she was six-years-old all over again. "Yes, I could have if I had to go then. There's a bathroom right down the hall outside. I'll just be a minute."

"We may not have a minute," Danny argued.

"We have a transfer!" Livingston exclaimed, his voice cracking as his fingers glided across his keyboard once again. "Cracking the code… rerouting the transaction…completing the transfer…just another minute…uh oh…."

Lily and Danny whipped around at the same time, the same expression set on their faces along with the same angry body language. Rusty would have smiled to himself if it weren't for the feeling of extreme panic radiating off of Livingston as he blankly stared at the computer screen.

"What?" Linus asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"This is not good, this is not good," Livingston chanted over and over.

"What's not good?" Rusty demanded.

"The money is being sent is encrypted code. I don't know what this means…."

"What do you mean encrypted code?"

"To disguise the money… Each number seems to mean a different number… I just don't know how…" Livingston jumbled, frozen by fear.

"So what?" Linus asked, his hands on his hips.

"If we don't figure out the code - the cipher to the code - then the money can go right past the account we've set up to its original destination. The account we set up was expecting… oh it just wasn't expecting this," Lily bit her fist. "Slimy bastard."

Rusty jumped to his feet. "Worse, the system would detect our attempt and promptly alert the alarm system in the computers, which would alert the authorities." He pivoted towards Livingston. "How long?"

"Because the amount being transferred is so much, about two minutes."

Danny grabbed Lily's shoulders, and intense glare desperately calling for her help. "Think, Lil. Is there something you can tell us that can help us crack the code."

Lily shook her head violently, tears reaching the corners of her eyes. "No… I… I…."

"A minute thirty," Livingston informed.

"Think, Lily!"

Rusty put a hand on Danny's chest, pushing him away from what looked like a frightened Lily. "Sports scores."

Yen began speaking wildly in Rusty's direction, but Rusty fended him off.

"No, look. The 76ers had a game on today, the score was 46-45 in the third quarter…." Rusty pointed to the first sequence of numbers: 4645. "That must stand for the 3 in the three hundred million…."

"One minute and counting."

Lily grabbed Livingston by the collar of his shirt and tugged him backwards. Rusty quickly took his place and began typing as fast as his fingers would allow.

"Thirty seconds," Danny warned.

"Shut up," Lily snapped, hitting her father on the shoulder.

"Fifteen seconds," Linus chimed. Lily shot a menacing glance in his direction.

"Almost done…" Rusty informed. A bar appeared on the screen to inform him that the transfer was almost complete. Numbers ran down the opposite side of the screen, Rusty trying to keep up with them.

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

- - - - - -

Lily closed her eyes, sinking back against the door as she closed it. Rusty was already in the kitchen, rummaging through her refrigerator for something to eat. When she had invited him up, he only accepted because he didn't want to wake Isabel up. Or so he said. When she had invited him up, she knew he wouldn't - couldn't - refuse.

She pushed herself from the doorframe, finding it particularly hard to move her legs. It felt like anvils were attached to her ankles, weighting her down and pulling her further back with ever step forward. It was her conscience, she knew, but she still reminded herself to lock the door. Just in case.

When she made it into the kitchen, Rusty was sitting at the island as he shoveled food into his mouth with a fork. Rusty's stomach was something that never failed to amaze her.

He heard her walk into the room, felt her slip her arms around his neck as her head lowered onto his shoulder. He couldn't sense that it was not a loving embrace, however, but a way to make him sit still and concentrate on what she was going to say.

"We have to talk."

He dropped his fork, hating those words. As much as he wanted to rip himself away and run down to his own room, he couldn't bring himself to move away from her touch. Not after all he had gone through, all he had realized.

"Okay, let's talk," he responded instead, trying to keep himself calm as she breathed against his neck.

"We're in a hole, Rusty."

"I can see where you would get that from, but…"

To his dismay, she backed away from him and took a seat on the counter. "I need to know, Rusty… I mean, I think I know, but I need to hear it from you… what do you want?"

"If you know, then why do I have to tell you? You know me, Lily. You know me better than anyone. Why should I have to confirm it for you?" Rusty truly didn't want to say it, and he was kicking himself for it. Why couldn't he just open up to her? Why couldn't he lay down what he thought in front of her so she could make her own decisions? Why couldn't he tell her he loved her?

"Damn it, Rusty!" Lily cursed, looking away from him. "I need you to tell me because I know that you feel the same way I do. You have to… you just have to. I have to hear you say it because you can't do this to me again. I need to hear it from you because you're still with her!"

Rusty reached out an took grip of her shoulders. "I'm with you, Lily. Right here, right now, I'm with you and not her. Doesn't that say something?"

Lily slowly shook her head. "No, nothing, because there's still a woman downstairs who loves you, who's waiting for you to go to her. If you hang onto that, you're hurting her and you're hurting me."

Rusty sighed, feeling the food he had been eating making its way back up his throat. He paced himself, forcing words. "I'm here, Lil. I want to be here."

"The fact that you can't even break up with her lets me believe that I was right when I said that you loved her…"

He wanted to break down and tell her everything he had been thinking about for the past couple days, but found himself incapable. It just wasn't like him to be lost for words. Worse, it wasn't like him to be sick to his stomach. He felt her slipping through his fingers again. She was about to run, and he didn't think he could say anything to stop her. Not yet. He just wasn't ready.

But he had to do something. He wouldn't let her run away from him again.

His fingers traced the line of her jaw, directing her chin upwards so she would have to look him in the eye. "What can I do to make you believe that that part of my life is over? What can I do to make you happy, Lily?"

Lily pulled away from him. "We're in a hole, Rusty. The first rule of holes is: when you find yourself in one, stop digging."

Rusty sat silent, contemplating. He rose from his chair, stood before her, and leaned forward so his forehead was pressed against hers. "How about I get you a shovel. We can fill in the hole together."

It was what she wanted to hear, although encrypted. She smiled, not realizing that she had started crying. Lily slid herself to the edge of the counter so she could wrap herself around him. "Don't tell my father you're giving me a shovel," she joked, and was pleasantly surprised when he understood.

He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away. Rusty sighed, dropping his hands - balled into fists - on to the counter. "You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?"

Lily smiled, her lips grazing his cheek. "I'll only make it as difficult as you let me, Robert."

"So then what do we do?" Rusty asked, immobilized in place as her teeth pulled at his earlobe. He was pleasantly surprised that she remembered.

"Tomorrow we start filling in the hole."

"Tomorrow?"

Lily's smile grew sly as she lithely lowered herself from the counter, careful to make sure her body staid in contact with Rusty the entire time as she walked around him. "What's a few more inches, huh?"

Rusty laughed nervously, suddenly feeling like a thirteen-year-old virgin as Lily reached around and placed her hands on his thighs. She slid her palms inward, her smile growing wider as she felt his pants growing tighter. Rusty looked up towards the ceiling, feeling a surge of pleasure he had not felt in a long, long while. "Lily…"

Lily's fingers played at the inseams of his pants. "You want me to stop?" Her palm cupped the bulge in his pants, coaxing a moan past Rusty's lips as she erotically rubbed him.

Rusty suppressed the moan from growing into a scream. "No…Yes…. Yeah, I think you should… you should stop."

Surprised, she took a step backwards. "Oh."

He could feel the rejection in her voice, but could not overcome the instant arousal she had given him. In theory, she should have stopped. He didn't want her to, but it was only right and fair to both her and Isabel. "Lily… its not that, its…"

Lily smiled, shaking her head. She did understand even though he had yet to explain, but it was still a blow to her ego. "I get it. It's okay."

Rusty reached out, taking fistfuls of her hair as he drew her into him. She craned her neck upwards to catch his lips on top of hers as Rusty lifted her. "Rule number one of holes," he explained, unable to remove himself from her.

"Right. Rule number one," she confirmed.

Lily knew that he was never going to leave if she didn't do something. She pried herself out of his arms, almost unwillingly. The hardest thing Lily ever had to do, she resolved to herself, was pushing him out of the door.


	17. Conclusions

**Eck, yucky chapter. Sorry. Needed a buffer zone for the rest of the story. Closing in on the end! Bet you $5 no one can guess what's coming!! **

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Conclusions**

Rusty inhaled sharply, his shoulder intensely aching under Isabel's touch. She meant it to be a friendly, peaceful gesture, but it felt as if she were stabbing him with the knife she held in her other hand. Her lips brushed his cheek, a prickling sensation against his skin.

He refrained from getting up to push in her chair as she sat at the other side of the table.

It was early. Extremely early. To Rusty, it seemed almost ungodly to be awake at such a time in the morning, but he had business to attend to. At least, that was how he was trying to approach it. Business. All business.

Right.

Isabel must have noticed the forced seriousness on his face, but refused to comment about it. He sighed in relief. "Izzy, I want to…"

His words were cut off as a bubbly blonde waitress walked over to the table. "Are you two ready to order?"

Rusty waved his hand at her, trying to direct her away. "Can you give us a moment, please." For once in his entire life, Rusty Ryan was not exactly hungry. Isabel lifted her menu in front of him, and a wave of annoyance washed over him.

"Hey… I know you, don't I?" the waitress commented.

Rusty just shook his head, unable to look away from Isabel as she scanned the menu. "I'm not from around here," he answered in a monotone voice.

"No, no. I know you. David? Right?"

Rusty tore his eyes away to look up at the waitress, his jaw dropping.

She smiled down at him. "David King? From the plane? It's me, Jenna. The actress. Remember?"

He smiled nervously. "Uh, hi, Jenna…what are you doing here? Waiting tables?"

She laughed. "Well, I decided to stay for a little while longer. My mom…"

But he had tuned her out.

"Where's your wife?"

Rusty's eyes grew wide. "What?"

"Your wife? The woman you were with on the plane?" Jenna repeated.

His eyes darted back and forth from Jenna to Isabel, watching fretfully as Isabel's expression changed from nonchalant to irritated. "You're wife?!" she asked, her voice raising an octave. "She's joking, right? Robert?"

Jenna's smile faded. "Robert?"

Rusty chuckled nervously. "Oh, shit…. Um, Jenna can you – please - excuse us…"

Jenna nodded, shuffling away as she peeked over her shoulder at the two of them. Rusty could feel her intrusive gaze from across the room, finding it almost comical that he was in the situation he was in. "Listen, Izzy…"

"Are you married, Rusty? Is that what… is that what this fight was all about? Is that why…"

Rusty nearly stood, his fists lightly pushing down on the table as he gritted his teeth. "Let me explain!" he ordered, never using such aggression with her before. He didn't necessarily like it, but his tone was needed. "Just hold on a second. No, no I am not married. I was with Lily on the plane and…"

"You and… and the woman who called me!? The woman who invited me here!? You and her are…"

"Isabel! Just stop!" His hands were at his temples, thoughts swirling around wildly in his head. "I wanted to tell you. That's what I was trying to say before Jenna… before Jenna interrupted."

"So it's true, then?"

"Lily and I are not married, but… she and I used to have this thing and…"

"Do you love her?" Isabel asked, her hands clenching the tablecloth with a mixture of anger and contempt.

Rusty was taken aback by the question. Such a simple question, yet it had such a complex answer. He knew the answer. Didn't he? Yes, he did. He had been contemplating the exact question for several days. In detail. In every single detail imaginable. He loved Lily. He did.

_Just say it, Rusty. Say it._ He urged himself.

His head nodded, his neck craning forward as he physically pushed the word out. "Yes."

Isabel softened, not expecting him to say that. "Oh."

It broke Rusty's heart to see the hurt expression on Isabel's face. He hadn't expected that from her. He hadn't expected the wounded animal look projecting from her hunched stance. "Izzy, I… It wasn't fair to you. I wasn't fair to you. You deserve better."

Isabel looked away from him. "How long?"

He exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath the entire time. "How long, what?"

"How long have you two been together? While we were together?"

He shook his head. "No, not while I was with you. While I was with you, I promise that you were the only one. You were special to me, Izzy. I need you to know that. I love Lily, but I loved you, too. In a different way, though…" He had said it. He had clearly stated his exact emotions to Isabel. So why couldn't he tell Lily?

Everything seemed lighter in that instant, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. All his tension released and his mind relaxed. If only for a moment.

Isabel closed her eyes as if to block tears. "I gave up everything for you, Rusty. I gave up my job. I gave up my life. I moved to that godforsaken hotel of yours. All for you. What gets me the most is, though, is that I don't regret any of it. Not even now."

"That's good, Izzy. I wouldn't want you to." He reached across the table, reaching out to take hold of her hand. "I didn't want to give you the whole 'it's not you, it's me' speech. And I know this is cliché, too, but I know you're going to find someone who's going to love you the way you deserve."

She lowered her eyes to the table, stealing her hands away from him, unable to say anything else.

- - - - -

"How is it that all Rusty is good for is coning people and breaking hearts, and yet you insist on pushing him towards your daughter?" Tess asked, watching Danny slowly close the door after tucking Isadora in.

Danny sighed, closing the door to where Isadora was sleeping. "Tess…"

Tess folded her arms over her chest. "No. I'm just trying to understand, Danny."

Danny shrugged, his shoulders reaching all the way to his ears. "It worked, didn't it?" The moment the words came out of his mouth, Danny noticed a different kind of disgust on his wife's face. He had never seen such a squalid expression cross her otherwise extravagant features before, and it made him physically take a step backwards.

"Daniel Ocean, I've never heard a more despicable statement come out of those lying, deceitful lips of yours."

"Tess, it worked! They're together… where they should be…"

"For now! It worked for now… but who's to say that in three months time that they're not going to be right back where they were a few days ago? Who are you to do that to them? To the closet thing to a best friend you've ever had? To your own daughter even!?"

"Exactly!" He hadn't meant to get mad, and he knew Tess meant no real harm with her observations, but it all felt like a direct attack on what he believed. "She's my daughter, Tess. Not yours…"

Tess recoiled backwards, reeling away from him. "You're right. She's not my daughter. Isadora is, however, and I will not stand by and watch you ruin her life if it is going to be a reflection of Lily's."

"Damn it, Tess…"

Hi hands were balled in fists. Not from anger. No, he couldn't be truly mad at Tess. Not after all he had put her through. She had hit a nerve, though. A nerve Danny had otherwise tried to suppress. "I told you… I promised you that I would get out after…"

"And Rusty made Lily a promise a long time ago. Promises don't mean shit, Danny, unless there are actions to back them up." Her tone was calmer, lower. At least for the sake of Isadora and her slumber.

Danny sighed again, trying to bypass certain emotions. He shook his head, his neck and back sagging. "I… I'll admit that my promise was only half-hearted."

Tess closed her eyes, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "At least you admit it."

His knuckles twisted in knots as he thought about his next words. Emotions were building up inside him, emotions only Tess could bring about. He hated those emotions. He suppressed those emotions. At least, he tried. "She doesn't need me anymore, Tess."

Her arms quickly encircled him, Tess feeling her presence needed. All anger, all annoyance was gone. His actions were temporarily forgotten. "You're her father, Danny. She'll always need you."

He felt her hair tickle against the nape of his neck as her head nuzzled the spot between his shoulder blades. "I promised you that I would stop for Isadora's sake, but I thought that as long as Lily was still…still part of all that… that I would always be there to help her. But she doesn't need my help anymore."

"So how does torturing her love life mix in with all that, Danny?" she asked innocently, making sure her tone met nothing but its inquisitory purpose. "You're making her miserable so you can keep making her miserable?"

He paused. "No. I'm her father. I want her to need me, but I want her to have someone who cares about her just as much as I do. Just… just in case."

Tess rubbed his shoulder, her fingers playing at the seams of his shirt. "You know, you and Lily are more alike in ways than one. You both think about your words as carefully as possible. It's also impossible to get both out you to let your guard down. You know what you want to say, but you start and stop your sentences a few times before you finally get courageous enough to let others know what you really think."

Danny swiveled around, collecting his wife in his arms. "You really think that Rusty and Lily won't work?"

Tess shook her head. "I saw the same thing you did, Danny. I saw how much they loved each other once, but I also saw how much they hurt each other. Sometimes I think you overlooked that part…"


	18. Crossroads

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Crossroads**

Lily gasped, unable to catch her breath as Rusty quickly did away with her skirt. His mouth was all over her, starting from her lips and moving downward. His slick, gliding movements over her body where enough to make her lose all her wind.

They had been together all day, hardly really talking. Rusty had met with her after her visit with Isabel, and Lily had just transformed into Ella. The final phase of the plan was in motion, Saul already at the bank. Virgil and Turk threw on a set of bank guard uniforms Lily has snagged for the event with the same amount of effort as models changing backstage during a fashion show, and then the four of them jumped into the van and headed towards the bank. Linus had gone ahead with Saul to offer any assistance, although Saul argued that he had no reason to be "babysat".

When they arrived at the bank, Lily – or Ella, rather – hurried up to the upper floor to meet Hollings in his office. To her surprise, he was there. He should have been on his "vacation". He should have been long gone, but instead he was just being stupid. Smug, and oh, so very stupid. He was sitting as his desk, watching the sport scores intently with a large smile on his face. Ella smiled to herself as she delivered his morning coffee. He was unaware of the money transfer, which was good. If he didn't know his money was gone, he wouldn't be looking for it. It would give them more time – if needed – to tie up any loose ends. Not that she had left any, of course. Not as long as Saul was doing his job. Saul had yelled at her when she had expressed that to him.

A little later, however, Hollings was in a less than happy mood when he read the paper. Frank's media contact had come in handy, and was making for a very entertaining show for Lily. Not only did he have to worry about his scandal, but he had to worry about his bank going bankrupt in the meantime. Saul was slowly extracting all his money, and the threat of a bank run loomed in the near future as word spread of his corruption.

Then, after Saul had thrown a proper-sized adult tantrum and Hollings left in a desperate huff, the six of them left – one at a time.

In the van, Linus, Virgil, Turk, and Saul discussed the entire operation in general. As Lily slid into the backseat, Rusty sat down next to her. She had expected it. She hadn't expected him to slip her hand off her lap and directed it to rest firmly in his palm, however.

The money had been split up evenly in Lily's apartment, each member of the team getting their fair share in a set of generic duffel bags that had been used to carry the currency out of the bank.

The last to leave was Danny, lingering in the doorway as he watched Rusty nervously pacing the room. Lily gave him a kiss on the cheek, closing the door on him. After the door was securely locked, Lily nearly ran into Rusty's arms. The money had somehow made its way out of the duffel bags that belonged to the two, and now littered the bedspread and surrounding floor with green, fresh printed wealth.

Rusty lifted her onto the bed, pressing his weight on her as her hands explored the muscles in his chest. Trembling with anticipation, her fingers found the buttons of his shirt and began to tear them open.

It felt so good. To be near him. To be in his arms. To be underneath him. "You know," she whispered as his tongue danced around her neck, "this is so familiar."

"Is that bad?" he grunted against her skin.

"Not at all," she responded, feeling his hands warming the skin on her back as he lifted her shirt from her torso. He moved instinctively, knowing what she liked and what she did not. He leaned over her, his mouth lingering around her ear as his teeth tugged on her lobe. She groaned, receiving heat-filled pleasure as she felt his growing erection against her thigh.

She felt his hand moving, the pads of his fingertips caressing the flesh between her thighs. With a swift, forceful motion, her parted her legs and settled himself in. Lily felt her growing anticipation forming knots in her stomach as it twisted and turned.

A knock on the door startled her as she fought with the buckle of his belt.

"Ignore it," Rusty pleaded into her ear, his mouth leaving seconds later to plant kisses along her neckline. He move down her body, slipping his hands under her skirt and up to a more intimate area. His fingertips grazed her thigh for mere nanoseconds to remove her panties before he moved them inside her, feeling her arch and wiggle with pleasure.

She moaned deeply, her fingers locking in his hair.

The knock sounded again, harder. A pounding against the door.

Rusty moved his fingers within her, trying to find just the right spot. Moreover, he was trying to distract her from whoever was on the other side of the door. She gasped at his movements, her hands moving to his shoulders as she pressed her nails into his skin.

Knock. "Lily? Lily? I have to talk to you!" It was Danny. He was screaming.

Rusty stopped, removing his fingers and falling limply at her side. Lily tried to collect her breath, propping herself up on her elbows. "Why'd you stop?"

"It's your dad," he pointed out, stretching his arms above his head.

"So?"

"So… I want to make you scream, Lil, but not in front of him. He's not going away until you talk to him."

Lily rolled on top of him, kissing him hard. Her tongue slipped through his lips, coaxing his mouth into a more passionate kiss. "You want to make me scream?"

Rusty laughed, nudging her to slid off. "Correction. I'm going to make you scream. Now while you're dad is out there, though. Stage fright."

Lily laughed, although extremely annoyed with her father. She collected her strewn clothes from the floor, and proceeded to put them on. "Give me five minutes."

"Lily, I'm lying half naked in a pile of money on your bed. You better take less than five minutes," he kidded. He realized he had been saying her name with almost every statement out of his mouth, and he liked it.

She ran to the door, sliding across the floor as she grabbed onto the brass and yanking the door open. She jumped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her, seeing her father peeking into the room. "Can I help you, Daddy?" she chimed, more pleasant than she would have been otherwise.

"Lily, I… I have to tell you something." He slid his hand onto her shoulder and started guiding her down the hallway, away from the door. "I was wrong, Lil, and I needed to tell you that."

Lily nodded, excitedly. "Message received, Dad. Thanks!" She tried to turn and reenter her apartment, but Danny had a firm hold on her shoulder.

"Don't you want to know what I was wrong about?" He asked, his eyes pouring out confusion and sincerity.

Lily spotted his outward attempt to connect with her, and changed her own facial expression. Excitement and anticipation gave way to generality. "Of course, Dad. And I appreciate that you're admitting it, but can't this wait until morning? I'm really tired and…" It wasn't exactly a lie. She had hardly slept at all during the job, and she was feeling a bit lagged. "How about breakfast. Just you and me? Like old times?"

"No, sweetheart. I have to tell you before you make a mistake." She managed to wiggle away from him, and had proceeded to turn her back on him. "Lily, come back here."

She waved over her shoulder. "Tomorrow morning, Dad. Promise. Bright and early."

Danny threw his hands in the air. "Lily! I was wrong to push you and Rusty back together!"

Lily froze, mid-step. She planted her foot on the ground, pivoting with such rigidity that she nearly fell over. The annoyance had broken through her previous emotions, taking the form of anger. Extreme anger. "What?"

Danny averted his eyes to the carpet, his chin falling over the collar of his shirt and pinning a button to his chest. "I shouldn't have said anything to Rusty. I should have… I should have seen how unhappy you were, and now… now I needed to tell you. You and Rusty are no good for each other, Lil. I think it would be a mistake to go back to what was once so…"

Lily grabbed her throat, her face turning bright red. "I can't breathe. Oh, God… I can't breathe…." Her hands fought the air around her to find the wall, where she collapsed down to the floor. Danny took several steps in her direction, but she threw her arms out to shield herself from him. "No! You told me you wanted us to be together! Then… then you tell me… you tell me that it's all wrong. You played on my fears, Dad. You played me! This is all you ever do to me, and I keep letting you! Oh, God… I can't breathe!" she screamed.

"Lily, please. I'm just trying to do what's best for you now."

"Now? So what were you trying to do before, Dad?"

"I thought that was best for you before, but… I see things now. I get it."

"You don't get shit, Dad!

He moved towards her, watching her struggle to pick herself up with the aid of a small table next to the wall, a vase of flowers teetering precariously on its surface. "No, Lily. Listen to me!" He demanded, grabbing her wrists. "I know what you think you feel for him. I know that I led you to those feelings. But, damn it, Lily, I'm trying to fix that now." She whimpered under his hold. She had never seen this side of her father before, but she always knew he was there somewhere.

"He loves me," she pouted.

"He loves you sometimes. He loves you when it's convenient for him. The rest isn't love, Lily. It's a test. He was always testing you, seeing how far he could push you. It's all the same to him, sweetheart."

Lily shook her head, her eyes slowly narrowing as tears took over. "How can you talk about him like that?"

Danny let her go, let her shrink away from him. "Because I know him."

She backed away, bumping into the table with the vase. The flowers shook violently in their vase, water spilling out onto the carpet as the blue container shifted and then fell onto the floor. The resonating sound from the crash of the vase took her back, knocking memories into her brain. Memories that she had been trying so hard – and finally succeeded for a short time – to block out in order to move forward.

She looked towards the door to her apartment. Rusty was on the other side, waiting for her. If she went back in there, she wouldn't be moving forward. Instead, she would be taking a trip back to her past. Her miserable, disheveled, heartbroken past.

"Do you want someone to love you conditionally, Lily?" Danny asked, watching her stare into a void.

She shook her head. She was angry. Angry at herself. She had wanted her father to realize what she had realized a long time ago, and he had. He had, except… except she no longer believed it herself.

Part of her wanted to go back in to Rusty, forget everything that had happened between them in hopes of having a happy future. In hopes. There was a chance she would end up more cynical than ever. But was she willing to take that chance?

Another part of her wanted to walk down the hallway, down the steps and out the building. She wanted to keep walking, walking to the airport and boarding a random flight to anywhere. Anywhere she could start over. Anywhere where they had never heard of Rusty Ryan, Danny Ocean, or Ocean's Eleven. Anywhere she could start over, forget who she was before, and ensure that she would be happy. But could she really do that?

Her future was doomed, either way. If she stayed, there was a chance she would be miserable. More miserable, because the pieces of her heart would have broken into even tinier pieces, ripping through her soul. She couldn't stand another blow like the one Rusty had given her before. Thinking, she knew Rusty would ultimately do something to break her heart again. It was who he was. He may have loved her, but he said he loved Isabel. He loved Isabel, yet he left her. He hurt her. Then again, if the left she would have to live with he misery of never knowing if she would have been happy with him.

So which road to chose?

Lily shook her head in response to her father's question. "No."

Danny let his head fall onto his shoulder. He was doing it again. He was unintentionally torturing her, and it tore at his heartstrings. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner."

She deiced to make her own path.

Lily walked over to him, curling into his chest as he held his arms out to her. She felt him nestled his chin in her hair, knowing that something was wrong, but at the same time knowing that it was not the time to talk about it. She hugged him tighter than she ever had before, even though she would never be able to look at her father the same way again. "I love you," she whispered to only him. How could she not? He was her father. He was trying to do what was best. Even if it was mentally killing her.

He forced a light laugh, the vibration in his chest soothing her into him even more. "I love you, too, Lily. Always."

Lily closed her eyes, letting him gently rock her in place for a second. After a long moment, he nudged her away a bit. She opened her eyes, immediately taking in the flowers on the floor She knew what she had to do.

All the rage bubbled back to the surface. If she left, she was going to leave behind everything. Even her father. Her little sister. Tess.

She knew what she had to do.

Tears enveloped her eyes, running down her cheeks like a fountain of sorrow. She kissed her father on the cheek, turned, and headed back into her apartment.

All Danny could do was stand and watch.

She walked back into the apartment, seeing Rusty still in the position she had left him in. "Rusty?" she spoke softly, barely able to catch her breath between sobs.

He heard her distress, shooting up from the bed and rushing to his side. She stopped him at arm's length, her hand on his chest. "Stop. Just stop."

"Lily, what's wrong? What the hell happened in the five minutes you were out there?"

The sobs overtook her. "I can't do this!" she screamed, her airways closing again

- - - - - -

Once Lily had clamed her hysterics down, she had gotten a chance to at least try to explain what it was all about. She sat on her bed, holding a pillow to her stomach – which had started churning and burning.

"I was stupid," she confessed, trying to keep her eyes as dry as possible.

Rusty shook his head, unable to look at her. "I don't understand."

"It's too late for this, Rusty. A relationship isn't fighting about who has the upper hand, and that's all we do whether either of us wants to admit it or not."

"Lily, please."

"Maybe… maybe we really never had a chance, Rusty. Maybe we were both just so naïve to think that we could work out. Once upon a time, I was waiting for you to sweep me off my feet but… this isn't exactly a fairytale. I'm not my father's little princess, anymore. And you… well you're not exactly a white knight, Rusty. If anything, this is more like a … a…"

"Nightmare."

"A reoccurring nightmare. I don't think there could be a happy ending for us, Rusty. And I can't take any more heartache. I just can't."

Rusty dropped to his knees, grabbing onto her ankle closest to the edge of the bed. "You don't know that, Lil. You can't. I… I…" Come on, Rusty! Just tell her! "I… I love you, Lily. God, I love you! Please, don't do this."

But Lily wasn't listening. She couldn't listen, or else she might change her mind. All the things she had realized, all the conclusions she had come to, were still foreign to him. She could only let him figure them out on his own. And he would, in time. And as for her…

She would take her money and head off in the morning.


	19. Two Years, Two Words

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Two Years, Two Words**

Lily stirred from her gentle slumber, the humming of people in the sands below her window waking her. It took her several moments to get her bearings, but she eventually forced herself from her bed. Slipping the robe that had been hug on the end of her bed over her shoulders, she stretched as she tiptoed out onto the terrace.

It was warm outside, a sticky heat automatically making her robe attach to her skin. She brushed a few loose strands of hair from her forehead, looking out onto the ocean. The high temperature was broken as a stray wind blew over her, gracing those on the beach with a little relief.

Australia had been a good idea.

Her travels had taken her to many places in the last two years, not only from coast to coast by from continent to continent. Every time she would get settled, she would see something that would remind her of him.

She had no idea what was going on in her old life anymore. She had left silently, in the middle of the night, with nothing but her newly acquired wealth and the clothes on her body. She had started over. Her name was Rachel Bailey, a red-headed, Irish bartender from Montana who had inherited her fortune from her dead grandmother. Her mother had left when Rachel was only two years old, and her father had died of cancer when she was fifteen. Her rich grandmother had taken her in. She loved ballet, although she didn't have the coordination for the art form. She had been married to an army officer for a total of three years, but she had lost him to the war overseas. She aspired to be a fiction writer, telling tales of bandits, crooks, and thieves.

She had left New York and jumped on a plane to Maine. From there, she traveled through Canada. After a brief stint in Montreal, she randomly selected places. Anchorage. Rome. Venice. Bangkok. Mexico City. Seville. Paris. Athens. London. Edinburgh.

Now, though, she found herself near Sydney.

The wind whipped around her again, tossing her hair completely loose as it flowed over her shoulders. She smiled to herself. The forecast was supposed to be hot, no wind. Yet every rogue blow made her smile a little wider. It reminded her of him. The air caressed her skin, taking place of his hands running all over her body. Short, bursting winds kissed her, making her feel heat that had nothing to do with the weather.

It was time for a change.

Her smile disappeared. She proceeded back into her temporary home, closing the double doors behind her. It had been different this time around. She didn't miss him, she needed him. She needed him so much it physically hurt her sometimes, but she had made the decision to leave. She would have to live with it. She was living it. Every second of every day, she was living with the decision to save herself. But, it was still different.

They hadn't broken up, because they hadn't really labeled their relationship. She hadn't talked to her father, not tell him where or when she was going. She hadn't said goodbye to her little sister, because she didn't know how to explain the situation to one so small. She didn't say goodbye to Tess, Virgil, Turk, Linus, Rueben, Livingston, Frank, Saul, Basher, or Yen.

She hadn't said goodbye to him, knowing that if she attempted to he would surely change her mind.

It was still a decision she had to live with. And she was. Peacefully, or as close to it as she could. She hadn't had any serious relationships in the time she was gone, but there were still males running in and out of her life. Not too many. The right amount, she supposed.

Yes, it was definitely time to move again. There was a light problem, however. She hadn't spent all her money, but she hadn't kept it all with her either. She couldn't deposit the stolen money in any bank, so she had to come up with an alternative place to stash it.

The lake.

It was the one place she knew there would be seasonal visitors, and her father hardly ever used the place anymore. She had hid the money securely – where she was positive no one would find it.

She was out of money, and would have to go retrieve some. Not a problem. It would be cold on the lake, not exactly desirable conditions for bare living. Not exactly desirable conditions for Danny Ocean or posse.

She quickly packed a bag, inhaled a cup of coffee she had swiftly brewed, and headed out the door without another look back. That was how she always left.

- - - - - -

The woods grew thick around the cabin, no one really around to take care and trim the trees and bushes that surrounded it. The path was overgrown, but she remembered the way like the back of her hand. Walking down the weeded, dirt driveway, she spotted the lake from a distance. She could see the still water, birds flying overhead to catch their evening meal. The sun was setting already, a darkness overtaking her and the woods. It was familiar, in a good way.

Crickets chirped from their protection in the foliage, birds chiming in for a nightly chorus. Lily smiled. Here she was safe to be no one, not even Lily Ocean. Time stopped in this place, and only good memories remained. Except… it reeked of good memories with Rusty. That was okay, though. It didn't hurt her like the other memories did. It comforted her, cradling her in the past where emotions were different and prospects of the future were filled with prosperity. It was a place where she was loved, and those memories were engraved in time forever.

Lights flickered on the lake, an usual sight for and unoccupied cabin. Curious, Lily forgot her mission, and traveled the woody thicket to the lakeside, A fire was built in the hearth at the mouth of the water, flames rising up and dancing in the reflection of the placid waters. It would have been beautiful – a welcoming sight – if it hadn't startled her so much.

There, sitting on a log at the fireside, was the reason she was running.

Rusty didn't see her at first, his hands folded in front of him as he leaned forward on his knees. He was staring into the flames, heavy contemplation lingering in his eyes.

She gasped, taking a step backwards. her motions rustled the brush at her feet. He looked up, just as startled as she was. She ducked under a tree branch, hoping it was enough for him to miss her. He didn't. He stood, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "Lily? Is that you?"

She closed her eyes, hoping for a second she was dreaming. A gust of wind swept across the lake, splashing a little water onto her. She knew she wasn't dreaming. She blushed, coming out from her hiding spot. "Rusty, what are you doing here?" It was all she could ask from him.

He rocked backwards on his heels, frowning. "Well, I found this money in that tree stump you fell in that one time…."

She shook her head. He was with her when she had stumbled and fallen on the unworn path around the lake. How could she had forgotten? "What are you doing here, Rusty?"

"Is that all you have to say?" he asked in return, anger brewing.

"Rusty!" she yelled, hoping to provoke the answer from him.

He untucked his hands, running his palms over his face. "I'm looking for you, Lil. What else would I be doing here this time of year?"

"Rusty…"

"Can you please stop saying my name so accusatorily? I believe I'm not the one who was at fault this time." She wrapped her arms around herself, protecting from another spray from the lake. She couldn't look. It was too painful. She turned her back to him, looking back up the path where she had come from. She could feel him standing there, his presence reaching out to her. She was aware of his standing next to the fire, and she was aware of him when he walked towards her. He stood behind her, inches. He could have reached out and touched her, pulled her into his arms, but he refrained. "I know how you felt now, Lily. I know how I made you feel back then…"

Tears stung in her eyes. She tried her best to hold them in.

"I understand now."

The words made her whip around, stare him in the eyes even though she was losing the battle with her emotions. "You understand what?"

"What's it's like to have someone you love betray you so fiercely. To have your heart ripped out of your chest. "

The words stabbed her in the heart. She hadn't intended that at all. She hadn't intended to harm him, although she knew that it would in some way. But the way he was looking, the saddened lines that had appeared on his face, she knew she hurt him more than she thought she could.

"I had to, Rusty."

He held his hands out, frowning deeper. "What are you doing, Lil? Seriously?"

She scowled, her eyes narrowing in anger. "What are _you _doing, Robert?"

He shrugged. "I was trying to get you to come home with me, but I don't think I want to anymore."

"Well, good! I told you, Rusty…" She stepped forward, towards him. She hadn't intended to, and it was probably a mistake on her part, but she still found herself propelling towards him with her finger wagging. "I told you that this isn't going to work, so…"

"So I'm just supposed to accept that? I don't think so, Lily. The biggest mistake I ever made was letting you walk out of my life, and I'm not about to make it again."

"What part of 'this isn't going to work' don't you understand?"

Rusty pivoted, trying to keep control of his temper. "You said that we can't have a happy ending. Why not?"

"Because all we do is fight, Rusty."

"So?" He offered, picking up a stone from the dirt at his feet and mindlessly skipping it across the lake. "Lil, I loved that about us."

"You _liked_ the fighting?"

He looked at her over his shoulder, such a smile on his face that her knees almost buckled. "Do you know anyone else who could fight the way we could? We would scream and yell until the other one was either physically or emotionally damaged, but we always came back loving each other more than before we started fighting! Personally, I miss the fighting. Mostly because afterwards, I would come out of it knowing just how much I care for you, and how much you cared for me for just simply sticking around for more fighting."

"You're insane," she scoffed, kicking the ground to give herself something to do.

"Insane about you, Lil. I'd have to be, or else I would have left a long time ago. Do you remember that one fight we had when we were in Aspen working over that white collar couple?" he asked, looking for a response from her. She gave him none, so he continued. "It was raining so hard, the snow was melting and the whole place almost flooded. We were stuck inside, and we were fighting about… well, I don't remember… but we were going at it like a professional wrestling match."

She chuckled.

He smiled wider. "You remember how you hit me so hard that I went through a window and almost got washed away with the weather?"

Her laugh grew louder, a visible smile on her face. "Yeah, I remember. You spent three days in the hospital after that, and we never did finish the con."

He nodded. "Right. You nearly killed me, Lily, but I still loved you. I still love you."

She wrapped her arms around herself, the breeze chilling her. She had heard him say the words she wanted him to say with absolute conviction, but it wasn't as sweet as she wanted it to be. It didn't mean as much as she thought it should. Maybe because she already knew he did. She always knew he did, even though he never said it out loud. Maybe it was because that part of her had almost expected him to say it.

Rusty laughed to himself, shaking his head. She had retreated inside her own mind. He knew he wasn't going to get it through her by bringing up old memories. "How you've been, Lil?"

"Comfortable," she replied without hesitation.

"And you want to be comfortable?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Do you still get that tingling in your spine?" She didn't respond, and he took that as an answer that she didn't. "Do you still feel that adrenaline?"

"No, Rusty. I haven't…"

"I know."

She cocked her head. "You knew?"

He nodded innocently. "I also know about Rachel, Samantha, Enid, Lucy, and Milo. Stop running from me, Lily."

She jumped towards her, her hands planting on his chest as she shoved him backwards. "You knew!?"

She started storming away from him, but he caught her wrist. "I told you, I wasn't about to make the same mistake again."

She tried to wrench herself away, but he held fast. "How the hell… were you stalking me?"

"Not me," he confessed, waving for someone in the trees to step forward and take responsibility. "Him."

"Linus!"

Linus shrugged, his eyes pleading for her. "He was paying me, Lily. It was this, or work with my mom."

"Oh, I should have known," she growled, giving up her tugging. She tried again, and only succeeded in pulling herself closer to him. "Let go of me," she ordered, thrashing her hardest. "Goddammit, Rusty! I said let go!"

He was playing with her, pulling her closer to him until he could wrap his arms around her shoulders. He leaned into her, and she instantly relaxed as he kissed her cheek. "Stop running, Lil."

She was caught. She was trapped. And all she could do was try to fight her way out. She switched into panic mode, kicking and yanking.

Even though he would be bruised and damaged, he held onto her. He held onto her tighter, his hand squeezing her wrist tighter. "Ow! Damn it, Rusty, you're hurting me! Let go…" She gave up again, thinking that if she did so he would relinquish his barbaric hold on her. She froze completely, her body going limp as to transfer all her weight into the hand clenching her wrist.

He grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. "I told you," he grumbled, anger filling him. "I'm not letting you go again, even if that means holding you against your will. I will do anything for you, Lily, but I will not let you go. So…what do you want?"

She stared at him, her eyes welling with tears again. This was their relationship. This was what they were destined to repeat over and over again. This was what she was running away from time and time again. And this was what she sop desperately missed. "Let me go," she pleaded, sobbing.

He shook his head, anger taking over fully. "I'm not doing that. What do you want, Lily?"

Everything disappeared into the background. Linus had walked back up the path, figuring his job was over. They were alone, only the sounds of the crickets calling out in the night permeated the atmosphere they had created. "I want… I want…"

"Lily! What do you want?" he asked more intensely, shaking the wrist he held tight.

"I want… you! I want you, Rusty," she sniffed. "But it doesn't matter what I want, because I can't have you. I learned a long time ago that you can't belong to one person. And that's what I want. I want you to belong to me."

He dropped her wrist, frowning. She stared for a second, then took her opportunity to back away. Once she was out of his reach, she turned and scampered back up the path towards the cabin. She stopped only when she realized he wasn't following her. Lily turned, still able to see Rusty standing by the lake. She was too far away to see the details of his face, but the slouched silhouette that was illuminated by the flickering fire stood placid, defeated. She noticed the curve of his upper back, the way his arms hung at his side, pulled her heartstrings to the point of break.

She couldn't look anymore, or else those strings would snap. His voice held her in place, however. He was far away, but the wind from the lake and the acoustics of the hill amplified his trodden voice so she could hear him. "Remember those two words your father always used to say? Or, the many combinations of two words?"

She nodded, her voice box suddenly unable to work.

"I'm adding two words of my own."

Silence fell over them for some time. Rusty was making sure she was willing to hear him, Lily desperately wanting him to say something for her to remember him by. She waited to hear him, her eyes closing. It was several moments before she opened them, realizing he had taken the time to catch up with her on the hill.

"Marry me." It wasn't a question.

She blinked at him, still unable to speak.

"Marry me, Lily. I belong to you. I've always belonged to you."

She continued to stare.

"Marry me. I want to fight with you, Lil. I want to fight, and then make up over and over and over again. I want you to be mad at me like only you can, and I want you to make love to me like only you can."

Nothing. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Marry me. Marry me and I'll prove you how much you really mean to me."

"I…I…." vibrations in her throat began rumbling.

"Marry me, Lily. Marry me, God damn it! "When I die – whether by an eerily detailed plot concocted by you or by natural causes – I want to be remembered because of you. I want to give you reasons to miss me. I want to be a good memory for you, Lily. Please."

No other sounds would come out. She wanted to talk to him, to answer him. She wanted to break the tension. She wanted to convey her thoughts to him. She wanted to convey her feelings to him, and share in his proclamations. With everything she wanted to say, her voice was overwhelmed. Instead, she thrust her hands out, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled his face towards hers. Her lips pressed hard against his, her convictions about what their relationship used to be releasing with the wind spilling over the lake.

The cabin always brought about good memories for both of them, and would continue to for the rest of their devoted lives. Finally, they belonged to one another. Rusty had found her, and would take her back to her family. Lily would stop trying to mend her heart, realizing that the bandages and bruises it had suffered was what made their love even stronger. Rusty would be faithful, plain and simple. Lily would trust him again.

Their life together and love for one another would prevail, and they would be able to look back on their pursuits of vindication with a smile and a hearty chuckle.

Fin.


	20. Author's Note

Hey all!!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who continue to read/review/ favorite this story! I haven't been writing as much as I used to, mostly because I'm in college right now with a Creative Writing major and a Psychology minor - which is a whole ton of work! I haven't been able to write a lot of fanfiction since my workshop classes require a lot writing - as I'm sure you can imagine. Right now I'm working on a memoir piece for my Creative Nonfiction class, but I'm almost done with that and will have a little more time on my hands. I hope to use that time to continue on with my Ocean's Fanfictions. Yes, I have started a sequel. Here is just a taste of the prologue, and I hope I get to hear more from all of you very soon!

Again, thank you! Whenever I check my e-mail and see that someone new had favorited my story or reviewed or added it to a C2, it's an amazing feeling. Especially for an aspiring author. It makes me feel like my writing is interesting and wanted, which is incredibly humbling and exciting. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Much love!

Nicole

This is a excerpt from the prologue of Inheritance, a sequel to Love, Life, and the Pursuit of Vindication. Enjoy!

Lily paused, brushing some dust off her shoulder. She had to use her whole palm to remove the blemish, applying a good amount of force to rub away the set-in powder. The dress had been sitting in the back of her closet for some time, waiting to wrap her skin in its cotton embrace when the right moment presented itself. Rusty loved the dress, and he loved it even more on her. she hadn't seen her husband in a while, however, so the dress had been exiled behind her winter clothing but before the Christmas sweaters her aunt knitted her faithfully each year.

The plane sat idly in front of her on the tarmac, flashing lights signaling it was ready for take off. She hoisted her pack up on her shoulder, then sprung into a jog as the wind picked up around her. Her heels clicked against the blacktop, then clanged as she climbed the metal stairs to board the plane. Rusty was there, waiting for her by the door. He collected her pack first, tossing it aside so he could scoop her up in his arms as kiss her passionately.

She was only aware her father was there when he cleared his throat.

She turned to see Danny and Tess sitting beside each other on conjoined seats, smiling up at her as Danny reached for Tess's hand. Lily hugged Tess first, bending down to extend an arm around her shoulders. She only half-hugged Danny, adding a kiss on the cheek before she and Rusty sat in their own seats. They were placed away, forced to look at each other without being able to make physical contact.

"Is everyone coming?" Lily asked, only grazing eye contact with her husband as she questioningly looked towards her father and his wife.

Danny smiled. "Are we intruding?"

Lily laughed, tossing her head back. "Oh, please. A week with Reuben is hardly a romantic getaway, Dad. I was only asking because I didn't expect you."

Rusty smiled at her, a smile that was meant for only Lily to notice. She blushed, shutting her eyes to prevent from giggling. She hadn't seen him in so long, and she had hoped to be alone with him on the plane. For reacquainting reasons.

Lily had grown used to being away from Rusty, and appreciated the feelings their separation made her feel when they came back together. Rusty was mostly busy running his hotel in California, Lily was in New York with her own business. After their wedding two years pervious, she had found herself itching to get back to her city. She returned, getting her own apartment for weekend visits. After a while, however, her stays became extended. Sometimes she would run jobs while she was there, dipping into Rusty's side job of offering her unique expertise to those willing to compensate her. Sometimes, she just enjoyed the hum of the city. The rhythm of New York reverberated through her, wrapping her in its atmosphere and rocking her to sleep at night. Weekends turned into a week. One week turned into two. Finally, she decided to make use of her time and knowledge. She bought a brownstone with the money left over from the Hollings job, and turned the bottom floor into an antique shop. With Tess's help as her official antique curator, her shop remained solvent. Which was more than Rusty could say about his hotel.


End file.
